Guy Ravet, auteur sur Grandes Tables Suisses

Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola and the arts - 17 Jan 2021

There are places where inspiration strikes as soon as you walk through the door. This is the sensation that accompanies each and every visitor who comes to the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola in Lugano. Beyond the prestigious nature of the establishment, it also hosts an innumerable amount of artworks. From the gardens, to the different rooms throughout the building, by way of the Gallery Arté Al Lago Restaurant, run by Head Chef Frank Oerthle, art is the common thread that guides visitors through their visit… We met with General Manager of the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola to learn more about this captivating universe.

Ivan Zorloni, General Manager (Photo Credit : Adrian Ehrbar)

Grandes Tables Suisses: Art has always been a part of the history of the establishment; can you tell us when and how this passion/willingness to showcase works of art began?

Ivan Zorloni, General Manager: The family who owns this establishment has always been passionate about art and has been collecting art worldwide even before the acquisition of the Hotel. When the family bought it in 1982, they took advantage of their art collection to decorate the entire Villa. Moreover, in 2002, The Hotel du Midi was bought by the same family, who transformed it into the beautiful Art Residence. With great foresight, they created a restaurant inside an art gallery on the ground floor of the building. In the last 10 years the art gallery has displayed many internationally famous exhibits.

GTS: How many works of art are displayed at the hotel in total?

IZ: The exact number is unknown, as the art is displayed all over the hotel without any sign and description so that the guests can enjoy them with free minds. There is a wide range in the genres of art displayed, from very antique masterpieces to modern pieces of art.

GTS: What do you think art brings to a hotel of your standing?

IZ: The Villa is, as the name foretells, not a ‘Hotel’ but a Villa. It has been very important for the owning family to keep that spirit alive. Therefore, art is a fundamental complement to the concept of the Villa.

GTS: There is a permanent collection as well as a traveling one in the hotel and restaurant. How do you select the works you present and how often do you propose new temporary exhibitions?

IZ: In the Hotel, the art is primarily permanent, although now and then there is a new entry. At the Restaurant, the permanent art is part of the interior design: for example, the hand-relief of Frank Hyder at the entrance has become a characteristic of the Arté.

The philosophy at the Art Gallery is providing visitors with a place to encounter three-dimensional art. The sculptors themselves can also design the few wall surfaces. That exhibition changes every 6 months.

GTS: Swiss artists also seem to take a prominent place in your exhibitions. Can you tell us about your latest finds?

IZ: We pursue our philosophy of three-dimensional art, and we seek artists that can satisfy our needs. Being in Switzerland, we do encourage Swiss art. But for the most part, our artists are international.

GTS: What is the artwork you are most proud of?

IZ: Art is very subjective, and beauty is in the eye of the observer. For this reason, we are proud of all our pieces of art!

GTS: …And which artist would you like to see decorating your beautiful establishment next?

IZ: It’s hard to tell; there are many artists on our waiting list, and the exhibitions are already taken for the next few years. However, we are always looking for new and interesting artists.

GTS: Which artist or work of art found in your establishment represents winter the most?

IZ: The painting of our non-profit association in Brazil Casa Dos Curumins, as during the wintertime we received their new painting, and we are currently engaged in fundraising for them.

GTS: Finally, if you had to describe in one sentence what art brings you, what would it be?

IZ: Pure joy!

Discover all the special offers from Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola at: https://www.villacastagnola.com/en/top/offers

Click on this link to find the perfect gift: https://shop.e-guma.ch/villa-castagnola/en/gift-vouchers

Poached egg, mushroom broth and caviar - 6 Jan 2021

Chef Ambrigio Stefanetti, from Restaurant Vecchia Osteria Seseglio, reveals the secrets of his post-holidays recipe : Poached egg, mushroom broth and caviar.

“After days of feasting, copious lunches and dinners, my favourite time to eat after the Christmas period is through the right balance of leisure, exercise and the preparation of recipes that satisfy our need for a return to nature, simplicity and pampering. Then, I rummage through the fridge and find the ingredients for this simple recipe:

Poached egg, mushroom broth and caviar which, accompanied by a nice loaf of dark bread with seeds, will provide the necessary energy and satisfaction without weighing you down.”

The recipe

(For 4 persons)

For the mushroom stock

1,500 litres of water
400 g mixed cultivated mushrooms (shitake, champignon, enoki…)
1 onion
1 celery stalk
Peppercorns, juniper, rosemary and salt

Place all the ingredients in a pot over a low heat until boiling and simmer for about 30 minutes.

For the poached egg

4 very fresh eggs

Cook the whole egg with shell for 40 minutes at 64° in a steamer or roner. Alternatively, prepare a poached egg.

Pour the broth into a deep dish, open the egg while it is still hot and place it in the centre. Garnish with a spoonful of caviar.

Enjoy your meal!

Discover the restaurant Vecchia Osteria Seseglio here : https://www.vecchiaosteria.ch

Badrutt’s, the tale of a legend - 20 Dec 2020

Some hotels are lucky enough to be associated with extraordinary anecdotes that give them a mythical grandeur. This is certainly true of Badrutt’s Palace in St. Moritz. A look back on an institution with a history as impressive as the hotel itself.

As guests open the large, glazed wooden doors to the stunning hotel on the lake, they are greeted by breathtaking scenery. The reception, already imposing thanks to its large dimensions, exudes sophistication, luxury and excellence. In fine weather, the sun’s rays make the works of art on the walls, as well as the comfortable armchairs, look all the more magnificent. Every detail within the hotel and its rooms does justice to the name ‘Palace’.

Flashback to the year 1858, when Johannes Badrutt, who was still working in the iron trade at the time, bought a guest house with 12 rooms in the village of St. Moritz.

The winters are particularly cold in the heart of the Engadine, and it was a risky decision for Johannes to open a hotel in this location. However, this did not put the avant-garde entrepreneur off promising his guests who had come from England in September 1864 that they would enjoy the most beautiful sunny days in the Engadine if they came back in the winter. Much was at stake for the bold man from Grisons as he invited them as his guests and agreed that he would reimburse them for their travel expenses if this was not the case. Johann was indeed proven right; the bronzed Brits did not forget this experience so easily and returned in the winter. In the meantime, he had constructed the world’s first curling and tobogganing run for his guests. The visitors were perfectly pleased and winter tourism in St. Moritz was born! Today, Badrutt’s Palace offers a variety of activities all year round, including tennis, spa, golf, fitness and cooking classes, fishing, ice skating and horse riding.

The guest house had been transformed into a luxury hotel, the Engadiner Kulm, when his son Caspar decided to buy the Hotel Beau Rivage directly below it in 1884. He passionately and resolutely carried out significant renovations, expanded the building and thus founded ‘Badrutt’s Palace’ in 1896 with 157 rooms and 43 suites. The third generation of the family took to the helm in 1898 when Hans Badrutt helped the hotel to prosper. His son, Andrea, then went on to give the Palace an international appeal. Under his aegis, personalities from the film industry, the art scene and politics stayed here, including Marlene Dietrich, Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin among many others. According to an amusing anecdote, the hotel and its magnificent postcard-like scenery are said to have inspired Alfred Hitchcock to create his famous thriller ‘The Birds’, as the American director watched how flocks of birds danced in the sky before swarming down to the lake from Suite 501.

The Palace has now definitely become a holiday destination for stars and other famous personalities, as well as for anyone looking for something special to cherish. A hotel that is characterised by its perfect, tailor-made service and its brilliant celebrations, thanks to which guests travel home beaming. That was also the case in 1992 when hotel guests were greeted with a special surprise as they looked out the windows of their suites: in front of the hotel stood beautiful limousines, elegant ladies and…an elephant!

This came about when a guest, who wanted to surprise his wife with an unusual gift, had asked the staff at Badrutt’s to procure something particularly unusual. The Palace team did not have to be asked twice and set to organising an elephant to transport the spectacular gift. After getting a hold of the animal, it was presented to the guests in front of the hotel.

Other extraordinary stories still circulate within the Palace today – you are sure to hear one or two more on your visit. And maybe your own story will one day be one of those that make Badrutt’s a legendary hotel!

Find more information on the hotel at: www.badruttspalace.com

Learn more about truffles! - 18 Nov 2020

Truffle season is in full swing, to the delight of chefs, who give it the pride of place on their menus. This is the case with Cristian Moreschi, executive chef at the Principe Leopoldo restaurant. Even though truffles offer a truly tantalising taste, it isn’t always easy to choose the right one… Which is why the chef is here to help, offering his tips and tricks to make your truffle dishes a success!

Les Grandes Tables de Suisse: There are white truffles and black truffles… Which truffle do you prefer to work with?

Cristian Moreschi: Surely if you have the opportunity to find and buy white truffles, working with its quality is very stimulating: it has very specific, unique characteristics. Of course, the black truffle is also an excellent product, but with different characteristics and completely different aromas.

Les Grandes Tables de Suisse: How can you recognise a good truffle?

Cristian Moreschi: A good truffle is recognisable by the scent and compactness, by the solidity of the so-called “potato”.

The chef Cristian Moreschi (photo credit : Adrian Ehrbar)

Les Grandes Tables de Suisse: How do you like to prepare the black and white truffles and why?

Cristian Moreschi: The black truffle is an ingredient that works very well with dishes based on white meat, such as poultry; it is, however, interesting to experience how it behaves even with more particular combinations. In this moment, for example, we have chosen to combine it with a beef fillet in a nut crust, with a delicate Madeira sauce. The white truffle with its richness goes very well with simple and rustic dishes, which give ample space to its recognisable flavor and its intoxicating, inebriant aroma: classics revisited like a simple fried egg, a beautiful potato purée enriched with fresh butter or whites noodles with a taleggio fondue.

In general, fats are always present in winning combinations, because they are vehicles and transmitters of flavours without equal. The search for the perfect dish therefore leads to a single result: a simple combination and at the same time rich in flavors.

Les Grandes Tables de Suisse: …And with the white truffle? What are the mistakes that should be avoided when cooking them?

Cristian Moreschi: Perhaps already in using the sentence “cooking the truffle” we are committing the first mistake: it is imperative not to ruin the raw material, so the best method to keep all the properties of the truffle intact is to be able to garnish it over a beautiful dish, at the last moment. It is precisely in this precious moment, when the truffle comes into contact with the dish, that this precious ingredient is able to release all of its scent.

Les Grandes Tables de Suisse: What is your tip to make homemade truffle pasta tasty and creamy?

Cristian Moreschi: We cook tagliolini for ¾ of the cooking time and finish the process in some butter and a little broth, in order to create an emulsion that gives life to a harmonious creaminess.

Les Grandes Tables de Suisse: You currently offer an à la carte truffle menu. What is your favorite dish to make on it?

Cristian Moreschi: At the Principe Leopoldo Restaurant we have a small menu with our “strong dishes”, highly-appreciated revisited classics. Personally, I really love the pumpkin and potato gnocchi with taleggio fondue, with a nice grating of truffle on top of course.

Les Grandes Tables de Suisse: Finally, which wine would you recommend pairing with truffle pasta?

Cristian Moreschi: On the menu, we have an excellent Barbaresco red wine from the Giacosa brothers: a remarkable grape that immediately gave me an excellent impression when I tasted it. Or you could also be daring with a more unusual combination, such as with a Rosé sparkling wine.

Discover the menu and make a reservation here: https://leopoldohotel.com/en/restaurant-bar/