Voici le seul suisse à la finale Young Chef - 3 Sep 2023

Raùl Garcia, 21, sous-chef at Focus (18/20), will be a finalist in Milan. With Guy Ravet as mentor.

SWISS HOPE

Sous-chef to Patrick Mahler at the Focus (18/20 and 2* Michelin) in the Park Hotel Vitznau, Raùl Garcia qualified last year for the final of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef cooking competition, to be held in Milan in early October. For the young man (21), it’s still a long way off: “Right now, I’m not nervous at all. But when I get there, things will certainly change”, says the candidate.

 

EFFICIENCY AND PERFECTION

These are the two qualities that unite Mahler and Garcia. Raùl understands me 100%,” says Patrick Mahler. His motivation and determination are remarkable. So much so that we sometimes forget that he’s only 21 years old.” After his apprenticeship, Raùl interned with Andreas Caminada (19/20) and worked with Pascal Steffen at Roots (17/20) in Basel.

 

 

TRIP TO JAPAN

Now, Raùl dreams of studying with a Japanese sushi master: “Their precision simply fascinates me”, he says after spending two weeks in Tokyo and Kyoto, where he dined at the three-starred Sushi Yoshitake: “It was even better than I’d imagined”. For the time being, however, Raùl is a finalist in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition, with the same dish as in the Brussels semi-final: stuffed pike-perch fillet, mussels, pike-perch ceviche and artichoke. “I’ve refined this dish further, in particular with a little saffron,” explains Raùl. As Mahler will not be able to travel to Milan, he will be mentored by Guy Ravet, President of the Grandes Tables de Suisse.

“The Dolder Grand is “Hotel of the Year 2024” - 3 Sep 2023

 

175 luxurious rooms and suites, 4,000 square meters of spa space – and 64 GaultMillau points: “The Dolder Grand” has implemented new, refined dining concepts in keeping with the spirit of the times. GaultMillau awards the Dolder mountain icon the title of “Hotel of the Year”. For the second time after 2016.

Editor-in-chief Urs Heller: “To win the title of ‘Hotel of the Year’ twice in the space of eight years, you have to perform exceptionally well. The Dolder Grand has delivered. The new Japanese restaurant MIKURIYA and the fascinating garden restaurant blooms have delighted us. The jewel in the crown is ‘The Restaurant’ with its 19 points and two stars”. The “masterminds” who turn a luxury resort into a food destination: Markus Granelli, General Manager, and Heiko Nieder, Culinary Director.

The hidden suite, the hidden garden

“Our location is not particularly central,” knows General Manager Markus Granelli, “but with the combination of rooms, spa, art and cuisine, we offer attractive reasons to come home to the ‘Dolder’.” Two new restaurants enter the GaultMillau 2024: “MIKURIYA” with 16 points, “blooms” with 14 points. Their common denominator: refined concepts. Committed chefs. And: to be found only at second glance in the immense hotel complex! A hostess in kimono leads the way to “MIKURIYA”. The Japanese restaurant is housed in the former “Room 100”, which was part of “Suite 100”. “Omakase” is the order of the day. Chef Atsushi Hiraoka determines the 15-course menus, while the counter can only accommodate up to eight customers. The “blooms” is located in an idyllic setting, in a previously unused part of the resort. The table is set between herb and vegetable beds, surrounded by a huge red steel object by Keith Haring. Pure romance. Open only in fine weather (!) The concept: vegan/vegetarian! “The garden is our source of inspiration,” explains Heiko Nieder. Sous-chef Robin Briner implements this demanding concept.

One in six! 19-point chef Heiko Nieder

Heiko Nieder is a “double agent” in the mountains. He develops new concepts. He watches over
every outlet with a sharp eye. But above all, he is a great cook, one of only six chefs in Switzerland to have been awarded the maximum score of 19 points by GaultMillau. Despite dancing at numerous weddings: Chef Heiko performs at the highest level in “The Restaurant”, welcomes his guests with an unlimited cascade of starters, has found a clever formula for the menu itself: New creations and a few signature dishes combine to form a great whole. Unusually for a five-star hotel, the perfect service and wine pairings are provided exclusively by women! The All-Day Saltz restaurant, with its cheeky design by Rolf Sachs and run by Julian Mai, has gained in class, earning the 15th point. In the restaurant and on the terrace, a second chef presents his menu: Oriental chef Firas El-Borji, grand master of Middle Eastern cuisine and favorite of the sheikhs who descend on the Dolder.

Switzerland’s best breakfast

Michelin-starred chef Heiko Nieder is also breakfast director! The Saltz serves the best breakfast in the country. Eight (!) cooks rise at dawn under the direction of Stephan Arnold, pampering guests at the “Dolder”, preparing everything fresh; 13 refined dishes, packed in 200 small pots. Sausage and cheese salad, egg salad, hummus, beef tartar, “organic eggs” in all their variations, not forgetting a few dishes that the chef has perfected for “breakfast”: “pain perdu” (French toast). And the onsen egg with sea trout roe, marinated salmon, potato espuma, dill and wasabi. Exciting pop-ups (“The Lobster Club”, ski chalet romance at “Dolder Lodge”, “Krug Lounge”) complete the offer. And once a year, world-class chefs gather for “The Epicure” food festival.

Murakami and Lord Norman Foster

“The Dolder Grand (built in 1899!) is a fascinating complex. Lord Norman Foster has lovingly restored the historic part of the hotel and skilfully combined it with an elegant new construction. The spa area offers pure relaxation over 4,000 square meters, with a swimming pool, excellent treatments and extensive sun terraces. Relax, chill out and indulge above the rooftops of Zurich.

The Dolder Grand 2023

Garden Party : 2400 Amuse-Bouches ! - 21 Aug 2023

2400 APPETIZERS GONE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE!

The GaultMillau Garden Party got off to a flying start thanks to the Grandes Tables de Suisse dream team.

YOU HAVE TO BE ON TIME FOR THE PARTY

The amuse-bouches are neatly arranged on their trays, tightly packed together. But with so many guests at the GaultMillau Garden Party at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, it’s a bit of an elbow-grab to get to these little delicacies, prepared by four members of the Grandes Tables de Suisse: Patrick Mahler (Focus, Park Hotel Vitznau), Pascal Steffen (Roots, Basel), Tobias Funke (Fernsicht, Heiden) and Romain Dercile (Fleur de Sel, Cossonay). These Michelin-starred chefs did not rest on their laurels: in the end, 2400 amuse-bouches were offered to the guests. A Titan’s task, devoured in the blink of an eye. Too bad for those who arrived late, even by a few minutes. Patrick Mahler, for example, kept filling his tartlets with duck foie gras and topping them with a little beef tartare, with the help of Raul Garcia, his talented sous-chef, always at his side.

 

 

REQUEST SENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

“Our president Guy Ravet sent me an e-mail in the middle of the night. We were in the process of finalizing the organization of an event, so I was able to reply immediately”, explains the chef. His colleague Pascal Steffen also made a point of joining in the festivities. The 17-point Basel chef personally enjoys attending events of this kind. But today, he wanted a change, to see what it’s like on the other side of the mirror. “We have to accept this kind of proposal from time to time, as it allows us to make a name for ourselves. Besides, this garden party is, for us, like an alumni reunion.”

 

THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Romain Dercile, also a 17-point chef, is usually to be found in the kitchens of La Fleur de Sel restaurant in Cossonay. But today, he was also in Bad Ragaz, preparing a cauliflower and black garlic tartlet. “I was pretty serene, even though it’s my first time here”. Tobias Funke didn’t look nervous either. This jack-of-all-trades knows how to manage stress. “It’s a bit hectic at the beginning, but then we can enjoy the event”.

A DYNAMIC PRESIDENT

If the Grandes Tables de Suisse field such a strong team at the Garden Party, it’s thanks to the efforts of their president, Guy Ravet, who has brought a breath of fresh air and, above all, new blood to the association. “The Grandes Tables were a bit old-fashioned. I wanted to bring in a new generation. Pascal Steffen and Tobias Funke were the first to be convinced. Their decision was a great help to me, as many other chefs followed suit. Today, it’s once again highly regarded to be part of the Grandes Tables”. But how did the President choose the chefs for the Garden Party? “Quite a few members were interested. The quickest to respond were selected. Having said that, I do try to ensure a certain balance, for example with the presence of French-speaking and German-speaking people”.

ALL GONE IN NO TIME

So, how would you sum up the Grandes Tables’ presence at the Garden Party? I’m very satisfied,” says Guy Ravet. And it seems that the guests were equally satisfied. The four chefs saw their preparations disappear in no time. “Fortunately, I had brought more ingredients than were officially required. My team was able to offer more tarts than expected”, smiles Patrick Mahler. But even with these extras, the amuse-bouches didn’t last long.

Text: Kathia Baltisberger | Photos: Olivia Pulver

General Assembly 2023 - 23 Jun 2023

ANNUAL MEETING IN THE GARDEN OF VEVEY’S GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC

GOOD MOOD IN THE GARDEN

The annual general meeting of the Grandes Tables de Suisse chefs’ association gave chefs from all over Switzerland the opportunity to spend the afternoon in the garden of the Grand Hôtel du Lac in Vevey, the new workplace of their president, Guy Ravet. Guy Ravet has restored the association’s lustre thanks to his great personal commitment: “A lot has changed with us, and it’s a pleasure to be part of it”, said the star chef.

 

 

THE NEW 2023 MEMBERS

Large photo above: Mattias Roock (Castello del Sole, Ascona), Federico Paladino (Osteria Enoteca Cuntitt, Castel San Pietro), Samuel Carugati (Krone, St. Moritz), Lukas Klaus (Krone, St. Moritz). Moritz), Lukas Kiener (Zur Gedult, Burgdorf), Mohamed Azeroual (La Cène, Fribourg), Richard Stöckli (Alpenblick, Wilderswil), Clément Bourgeois (Le Soleil de Châtillon, Châtillon), Nicolas Darnauguilhem (La Pinte des Mossettes, Cerniat), Grégory Wyss (Gerber Wyss Restaurant, Yverdon-les-Bains), Mike Wehrle (Bürgenstock Resort, Obbürgen), Mauro Capelli (Restaurant du Théàtre, Monthey) and GTS President Guy Ravet, from left to right.

DIVERSITY AND COMMITMENT

One of the few items on the agenda was, of course, the admission of new members – eleven new members in 2023, six having left the Grandes Tables through resignation or retirement. Among the new members was Bürgenstock’s head chef, Mike Wehrle, responsible for four GaultMillau restaurants in the resort overlooking Lake Lucerne. “I love the diversity and commitment of Grandes Tables,” explains the executive chef to justify his membership.

 

CHEFS WITH POTENTIAL

While many young chefs from all parts of the country have joined the Grandes Tables over the past two years, growth is no longer central for Guy Ravet: “If five or six good colleagues join the Grandes Tables every year, that makes me happy. I’m looking for cooks who may have 15 or 16 points, but who have the potential to have 17 or 18,” says the chef at the helm of the two restaurants at the Grand Hôtel du Lac in Vevey.

THE DISH OF THE DAY

For the recreational part of this annual meeting, Guy Ravet and General Secretary Kurt Eicher drew inspiration from the GaultMillau Garden Party. People enjoy it more than a formal gala evening,” explains Ravet. Eminent chefs from the French-speaking part of Switzerland will be present at the various cooking stations: Stéphane Décotterd, for example, will be serving translucent Arctic char with a subtle woody sauce and candied potato. Marie Robert proposes a magnificent ravioli with mussels and asparagus. But THE dish of the day is to be found at station number two, at Franck Giovannini’s: slow-cooked langoustine in herb sauce, accompanied by langoustine flan and zucchini flowers. A feast for the eyes and the taste buds.

 

THE GIOVANNINI ARM AFFAIR

For occasions like this, he has a very simple method, explains the 19-point Giovannini chef, a glass of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut in hand: “I always wait until everyone has decided what they’re going to cook, then I choose a product that no one else is preparing”. His dish looks impeccable, despite the fact that the 49-year-old chef is still suffering from the after-effects of an accident: “I injured my shoulder skiing this winter and I still can’t lift my arm properly,” he says. No worries for Chef of the Year Benoît Carcenat, who arrived a little later: “We were fully booked for lunch service, but now I’m happy to be here,” says the cheerful French chef.

 

Text: David Schnapp | Photos: Adrian Ehrbar