Several Swiss hotels are sporting shiny new Michelin stars following the Guide Michelin 2020 ceremony in Lugano on February 24. Of the 122 restaurants in the guide, six new two-star restaurants and 12 new one-star restaurants were added this year. (Fun fact: According to the Michelin Guide, Switzerland has the highest per capita density of starred restaurants of any country in Europe.)
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is celebrating a total of three new Michelin stars in 2020. The resort previously held one Michelin star at IGNIV by Andreas Caminada and was awarded three additional stars for chef Silvio Germann (IGNIV by Andreas Caminada) and chef Sven Wassmer (Memories) and their teams.
The 33-year-old Wassmer has managed to receive two stars within just eight months of the opening of his restaurant, Memories. Previously, Wassmer worked at a two-star restaurant in Vals and brought his talents to Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in 2019. Germann, on the other hand, was awarded the second Michelin star in his fifth year at IGNIV. The 30-year-old played a key role in shaping IGNIV and the fine-dining sharing concept designed by Andreas Caminada.
For more on Switzerland's offerings, check out our podcast with Paolo Lunardi, manager trade relations North America at Switzerland Tourism, where he discusses chocolate experiences, new flights and many more new offerings:
At Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, chef Marcel Skibba was distinguished with a second Michelin star. Only nine months after IGNIV by Andreas Caminada opened in December 2016, chef Skibba was awarded the first Michelin star for the restaurant’s modern, collaborative approach to dining. For 2020, the restaurant will tout two Michelin stars. The focus is on sharing with all dishes served in small bowls, plates or platters in the middle of the table, individually paired with wine by Italian host and sommelier, Giuseppe Lo Vasco.
In Zurich, The Pavillon restaurant at Baur au Lac retained its two Michelin stars this year. Pavillon head chef, the 43-year-old Laurent Eperon took over the restaurant's kitchen in 2009.
In addition, head sommelier Marc Almert received the Sommelier Award 2020. This special prize was awarded for the second time by the Michelin Guide in Switzerland. Twenty-eight-year-old Almert already holds the title of 2019 Best Sommelier of the World from the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI). After a few years in the German hotel industry, Almert selected the Baur au Lac as his place of work.
Good to know: Three-Michelin-starred chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in New York is set to return to the Baur au Lac for a special pop-up dinner series. From March 17 – 21, Humm will host nine-course lunches and dinners with his former colleague Laurent Eperon at the hotel's Pavillon Restaurant.
Humm will serve his signature Humm Dogs in collaboration with Zürich's BÜRKLI Beiz + Kiosk in Bürkli square, donating all earnings from the event to the Children's Hospital Zürich and the Kinder-Spitex of canton Zurich, a children's medical care program, plus Chef Humm's signature honey and lavender roasted duck. Starting at 7 p.m. each night, Humm will offer a menu plus mignardises, and a wine pairing selected by Almert will be available for an additional charge.
Related Articles
Switzerland Sees Record Arrivals From U.S. in 2019
The Best Hotels and Chalets in St Moritz, Switzerland
La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich Is Now Open
The Alex Hotel Brings Five-Star Pizzazz to Zurich's Waterfront