For the 30th anniversary of the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, 10 chefs who have fittingly earned a total of 30 Michelin stars convened in Switzerland’s Engadin Valley. Hosted by nine participating hotels, these guest chefs traveled from Europe and Asia for 6 days of incredible culinary events, from January 29 to February 3, 2024.

The Hotel Waldhaus Sils, one of nine hotels participating in the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, hosted Stefan Stiller, a German chef based in China. Since 2004, he has been living in Shanghai. This is where you will find his restaurant, Taian Table—one of only two restaurants in the city to have earned three Michelin stars

Hotel Waldhaus Sils: A Family Tradition for Over a Century

Managed by the same family since 1908, the five-star Hotel Waldhaus Sils is situated on a forested hillside above the Silsersee (Lake Sils). Executive Chef Gero Porstein started working at the hotel in the summer of 2018. The German chef brings a wealth of experience, having worked for over two decades in Switzerland. Today, he manages a team of 23 chefs in the hotel’s kitchen.

During the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, Mr. Porstein partnered with Chef Stefan Stiller at the Hotel Waldhaus Sils, helping him prepare for the guests attending their various dining events.

Stefan Stiller at the Waldhaus Sils

Not only does Stefan Stiller manage his 3-Michelin Star restaurant, Taian Table in Shanghai, but he has another restaurant of the same name in Guangzhou. It opened in 2021 and has already earned two Michelin stars. In addition, his restaurant Stiller in Guangzhou has one Michelin star. As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Mr. Stiller serves as the president of the Chinese Bocuse d’Or competition.

In the historic “Great Lounge” of the Hotel Waldhaus Sils, I sat down with Chef Stefan Stiller the morning after the Porsche Kitchen Party, which was held in the kitchen of Badrutt’s Palace. All 10 of the guest chefs attended this event and all prepared dishes that participants could sample as they wandered through the kitchen wearing aprons. During our conversation, we talked about his culinary achievements and his plans for the festival. Here is an excerpt of our conversation, edited for clarity.

Q: What did you think of the Porsche Kitchen Party?

Mr. Stiller: “It was an amazing event and interesting to see so many people in the kitchen! I think it had a good vibe. And the people there, I believe they enjoyed it.”

Q: Can you tell me about the dish you prepared for the Kitchen Party?

Mr. Stiller: “It’s a dish we had on our menu [at the restaurant] last year. The inspiration comes from a traditional Korean dish, Yukhoe. The raw beef was marinated in a combination of kimchi and gochujang, and then we added some other flavor layers. We had the crispy bread below, which adds a little bit of texture and also some umami because we dipped the roasted bread in brown butter. And then, we had the pickled mustard seeds on top, which added a little bit of crunchiness, but also acidity, and some pickled daikon, so there was quite a lot going on in this small bite.”

Q: Why did you want to attend the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival?

Mr. Stiller: “First, it’s an honor to be invited and to be here and especially on the occasion of the 30-year anniversary. Second, it’s always great to have these kind of networking opportunities, meeting chefs and meeting other gourmet dining enthusiasts. It’s a lot of work, but it’s nice being able to collaborate with other chefs.”

Q: How has it been working with Executive Chef Gero Porstein from the Hotel Waldhaus Sils?

Mr. Stiller: “He’s very supportive, very supportive. Also, communication was very smooth with him because we had to sort out all the ingredients we needed, and so we talked about sourcing, purchasing and also equipment. We didn’t see the kitchen before [we arrived], so we had to check on what equipment he had, what we might need to bring, or what he might need to organize. All of this went went very smoothly, so there was very good support.”

“And also, we needed to look after the ingredients because produce in China is different than produce in Switzerland. For example, for one of the dishes, we typically use a very specific type of bamboo. Since we were not able to find that here, we replaced it with some slightly pickled daikon.”

Q: Did you always want to become a chef? How did you get started in this career?

Mr. Stiller: “More than 40 years ago, so I started in the middle of the 1980s, around 1983, as an apprentice in the north of Germany. I was not the best student at school and so for me, going to university or or something like this was not really an option. And so, I had to look for what I was going to do. And my brother, who is slightly older, also did an apprenticeship to become a chef, but he didn’t continue on with a career in cooking. But then I thought, oh, this is something interesting and I like food. And so I I did a a short internship.”

Q: And did you ever imagine that you would be cooking at this level when you started? Was that ever a goal for you at a young age to have three Michelin stars?

Mr. Stiller: “OK, the goal was not aiming for three Michelin stars. The goal was giving a good experience to customers and really driving for a high level of quality. For me, the most important part is being a good host, and this is for me the essence of hospitality—looking after the guests, giving them a great experience, walking them out of the door, seeing a smile on their faces and having the feeling they had a good time. And what it takes to get there is obviously a lot of hard work, but this is more of the job that I’m looking after. So, I see myself more as a as a host than as a as a purely as a chef.”

Stefan Stiller’s Gourmet Dîner

The Hotel Waldhaus Sils hosted several events throughout the week with Chef Stefan Stiller. They included several Gourmet Dîners, the Porsche Gourmet Safari, and a 4-hands dinner with Chef Juan Amador. I had the chance to attend Mr. Stiller’s first Gourmet Dîner at the hotel, with the honor of being seated with the four generation of this family hotel, Felix and Maria Dietrich.

Mr. Stiller prepared an amuse bouche, six courses and mignardises for the Gourmet Dîner at the Hotel Waldhaus Sils as part of the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival.

Amuse Bouche: US Prime Beef – Daikon – Gochujang – Kimchi

Veal Tenderloin Tartar – Miso – Brown Butter – Black Truffle

Smoked Eel – Watercress – Sake Kasu – Green Apple

Seared Scallop – Dashi-Butter – Bacon Jam – Leek Puree

Turbot – Chorizo – Bouillabaisse Sauce

Miéral Pigeon – Jerusalem Artichoke – Blackberry – Liver Dumpling

Toasted Rice Gelato – Avocado – Magno – Coriander

Each dish prepared by Stefan Stiller and his team included carefully balanced flavors and textures with vibrant colors. Elegantly presented, the six courses were meticulous in their execution. After talking with him, you can see how his calm demeanor and focus on high standards for both the quality of his food and hospitality, have helped his restaurants receive such high accolades. His approach matched well with the outstanding reputation of his host, the Hotel Waldhaus Sils.

For more information:

St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, Woehrle / Pirola Events & Public Relations, +41 (0)44 245 86 94, info@woehrlepirola.ch

Hotel Waldhaus Sils, Via da Fex 3, CH-7514 Sils im Engadin, +41 (0)81 838 51 00, mail@waldhaus-sils.ch.

Please note: I stayed for two nights at the Hotel Waldhaus Sils as a guest of the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival. As always, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are purely my own.