Nine master chefs attracted about 1,400 visitors to Chef Alps 2017, an international cooking summit held annually in Zürich, Switzerland. The 6th edition of this 2-day event showcased the incredible talent of these chefs. They cooked live on stage and shared some of their culinary secrets. For people working in the fine dining industry, gastronomy enthusiasts or amateur cooks, Chef Alps gives a firsthand look at the tools, ingredients and techniques of world-renowned chefs. This year, the chefs came from Europe and the United States.

Here are the nine guest chefs that participated in Chef Alps 2017:

• Nick Bril – The Jane, Antwerpen, BELGIUM
• Oriol Castro – Disfrutar, Barcelona, SPAIN
• Dominique Crenn – Atelier Crenn, San Francisco, USA
• Antonia Klugmann – L’Argine a Vencò, Dolegna del Collio, Gorizia, ITALY
• Peter Knogl – Cheval Blanc, Basel, SWITZERLAND
• Eric Menchon – Le Moissonnier, Cologne, GERMANY
• Even Ramsvik – Lava Oslo, Oslo, NORWAY
• Heinz Reitbauer – Steirereck, Wein, AUSTRIA
• Ana Roš – Hiša Franko, Kobarid, SLOVENIA

Master Chefs Live On Stage

Each of the nine guest chefs presented some of their favorite dishes at Chef Alps 2017. They prepared each one, step by step, as the eager audience watched and listened to their commentary. Imagine fine dining reinvented as a spectator sport. That’s a bit like the atmosphere at this event, but minus the competitive spirit. Six of the chefs gave their talks in English, with the remaining three opting for German.

Nearly all the chefs had help on stage. Each brought one or two cooks from their restaurant to assist in the preparation of their complex dishes. In comparison, Ana Roš — a self-taught chef at Hiša Franko in Slovenia, did it all by herself. In 2017, she was named the World’s Best Female Chef by the World’s Best 50 Restaurants. Chef Alps also hosted the 2016 award winner of this title, Dominque Crenn. This French-born chef runs Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, California. Along with Anontia Klugmann from Italy, women made up of one-third of the guest chefs at Chef Alps 2017. A ratio not often achieved at culinary events.

Cooking Demonstrations

The chefs were all very engaging. Certainly, it was fascinating see them cooking and preparing such beautiful plates of food with some creative ingredients. Dominque Crenn prepared a shot glass of swordfish bone marrow with passion fruit alongside a bouquet of fried potato strands. She seasoned it with mulled vinegar and seaweed, for a stylized version of fish and chips. Ana Roš cooked tripe in duck jus and topped it with cheese and wild nettle chips.

Anotonia Klugmann roasted white asparagus in elderflower syrup. Then, she sprinkled it with fresh thyme and elderflowers and served it with a broth of homemade almond milk. She also prepared spaghetti cooked in a strawberry stock with a sauce made of strawberries, onions and tomatoes. The flavor combination seemed highly unusual, but she convinced us that the sweet, red fruit helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

When the chefs finished cooking on stage, the audience was not able to sample their dishes, as they only prepared one plate of each dish for their demonstration. Although, Even Ramsvik passed around some of his ingredients for the audience to taste or smell. Also, Eric Menchon threw out some popcorn balls for the crowd to try. He made them from a small ear of dried corn with deep red kernels. I think that not having the opportunity to sample these dishes is surely a tactic to encourage people to visit the chefs’ restaurants. It worked — this event has already started to inspire my future travel plans…

Meet and Greet with Guest Chefs

Following their cooking demonstrations on stage, the guest chefs participated in a “Meet and Greet” session. Audience members could stop by and say hello, have their book signed or pose for a photo. It was a nice way to connect with the chefs and ask a question or two.

I stopped by and said hello to Chef Even Ramsvik of Norway. He had spoken about traditional Norwegian cuisine on stage. As in Switzerland, boiled potatoes are quite common in his home country. His version of boiled potatoes, however, had the deluxe treatment. More specifically, they included roasted yeast and Swiss caviar. Plus, he served them with a butter sauce seasoned with fermented celery root, garnished with an oil infused with black currant leaves.

Chef Alps 2017 Exhibitors – Food and Products for Fine Dining

In addition to the nine cooking demonstrations, Chef Alps 2017 also hosted more than 30 exhibitors. They presented food products and other tools for the fine dining industry. I sampled some delicious Swiss caviar from Oona and talked with the owner of Dr. Schier’s Swiss Premium Honey, a former pediatric surgeon. The founder of Gents Swiss Root Tonic Water, gave me a cold Ginger Brew, pungent and satisfying, to sample during lunch. I always enjoy finding new Swiss food products, and there were many to discover in between the cooking demonstrations.

Overall, my two days at Chef Alps felt a bit like going back to school. The event featured master classes from some of the most celebrated chefs in the world. I picked up some tricks that I’ve already put into practice back in my home kitchen. Also, I loved hearing about what inspires these chefs, as well as the path that eventually led them to this profession. As I mentioned, the event may also influence your future travel plans — perhaps an upcoming trip to Norway or Slovenia? Or, it can remind you to take advantage of the wonderful restaurants we have right here in Switzerland.

Updated: January 1, 2023

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