Grand Tour Deluxe, in collaboration with Swiss Deluxe Hotels and Swiss Tourism, took us across the Swiss mountains, lakes, and cantons, giving us insights into the career path of one of the most famous UK chefs, Anton Mosimann, who was born and raised in Switzerland.
The stops on the tour mark Mr Mosimann’s time here, including his cooking projects, jobs, learnings, and achievements. The chef worked in Gstaad, Montreux, and Lucerne and co-hosted gala dinners in Zurich and Vevey — making the route even more exciting for him and the invited guests. Anton Mosimann is the official caterer of the Royal Family and has won numerous awards, all while cooking in 80 cities around the world. Now he resides mostly in Switzerland and owns Mosimann’s Club, a private member club and restaurant in London.
The journey started with The Mosimann Collection: a museum showcase of the chef’s personal collection of culinary artefacts, including historical cookery books, pictures, medals, and original recipes. Plus, an elaborate menu collection from great establishments around the world. Situated in Le Bouveret, on the campus shared by César Ritz Colleges Switzerland and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, this extraordinary collection is open for all to see, touch, and experience.
Afterwards, we headed towards Montreux and had the pleasure of spending a night at the legendary Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in Montreux, where Swiss chef Anton Mosimann now calls home. There, we already saw the preparations for the Montreux Jazz Festival (the hotel hosts its prominent artists every year in summer), and enjoyed the incredible beauty of the Swiss Riviera, the lake, and the Alps. And, of course, visited its fine dining restaurant, La Terrasse du Petit Palais, to taste its Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.
In the morning, we dove into the world of music and history-making courtesy of an exclusive tour of the Claude Nobs Chalets — the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival hotel — on the hills of the city. David Bowie, Quincy Jones, and many world-famous artists were guests here. The houses feature collector’s items from the singers that either recorded albums in Montreux or performed at the festival, including thousands of tapes and recordings of all concerts since 1967 in audio and since 1970 in video. The star of the show has to be the audiovisual room, where — thanks to an advanced sound system which mimics the sound from the main Montreux Jazz Festival auditorium, installed by acoustic scientist Hervé Lissek — visitors can experience these old recordings as close to the original performance as possible.
Our next stop was not far away in Vevey, where we had lunch and met the new chef of the Grand Hotel du Lac — Guy Ravet.
The hotel is located in the idyllic Swiss Lavaux region with stunning views of Lake Geneva. The stately hotel’s interior and exterior fuse modern elegance and old-world charm, boasting ample amenities, including a spa, La Maison Valmont treatments, and a swimming pool.
After a scenic journey in the mountains in the afternoon, we then arrived in the peaceful and charming town of Gstaad — a top destination for a genuine Alpine experience, with a car-free promenade, its own airport in Saanen, luxurious hotels, and plentiful shopping opportunities.
We stayed in the charming and chic Bellevue Gstaad hotel, which attracts with its understated, discreet luxury feel. Swiss elegance is felt in every corner. The hotel boasts a wellness area, 20-seat private cinema, the stylishly-decorated restaurant; Leonard, catering elegant international cuisine.
In Gstaad town, we took a scenic carriage ride, which took us to the local cheese grotto 25 meters underground. Accommodating 3000 wheels, it’s an intriguing place to discover more about cheesemaking from local cheese experts — and have an Aperitif and degustation.
The next highlight of the Grand Tour Deluxe was the iconic hotel in Interlaken — Victoria Jungfrau. We were pleased to have lunch at the restaurant Radius located on its lovely terrace with mountain views of the area. The gastronomic experience consisted of fine dining featuring handpicked products from within a 50 km radius created by the executive chef Stefan Beer.
After another scenic ride we stopped in Lucerne and spent a night at the recently-opened Mandarin Oriental Palace in Lucerne. Belle Époque architecture hosts elegant interiors and custom-designed furniture here — a top location on the shores of Lake Lucerne with fascinating views over the Swiss Alps, 136 exquisitely-designed rooms and suites with luxurious marble bathrooms, and bespoke spa treatments.
Park Hotel Vitznau was our next destination, where we tasted the culinary delights of The Grill Restaurant on our lakeside terrace right on the shore of Lake Lucerne.
Meeting Award-winning chef Patrick Mahler and his team (18 Gault & Millau points, 2 Michelin stars) from the restaurant focus Atelier — where French cuisine is fused with seasonal products from all over the world for colourful new creations — was a highlight. The hotel also boasts one of the biggest wine cellars in Switzerland, where guests can take exclusive tours. The six wine cellars are divided by region — France, New World, Old World, Château d’Yquem, Champagnes, and Rarities, altogether comprising 35,000 bottles with 4,500 positions.
Upon arrival in Zurich in the early afternoon, we were invited for an aperitif on one of the most elegant and luxurious rooftop terraces in the city — at the hotel La Reserve Eden Au Lac. Apart from sophisticated drinks, the rooftop terrace offers hot and warm dishes from the hotel’s restaurant, La Muña, which mixes flavours from Japan and Peru. From the beautiful rooftop, we could spot our next and final destination of the tour — the Dolder Grand Hotel.
At the Dolder Grand, Anton Mosimann first met the Dolder’s chef Heiko Nieder and his team. The end-of-tour dinner took place on the terrace of the hotel’s restaurant Saltz, awarded with 14 Gault & Millau points. The restaurant offers international dishes featuring regional ingredients, and Swiss wines are the focus of the wine menu.
The Dolder Grand is an institution in Zurich. Amongst the numerous highlights of the hotel are: A 4 000 square meter spa area offering a variety of treatments and facilities, such as a 25-meter-long swimming pool, whirlpools, sanarium, snow paradise, steam bath, and outdoor sun terrace; A contemporary art collection with 100 works by 90 artists, such as Takashi Murakami and Salvador Dalí among others; Numerous restaurants (and regular pop-ups); Butler and concierge services, And sophisticated annual events hosted by the hotel.
The Grand Tour Deluxe highlighted the great institutions and destinations chef Anton Mosimann shaped. Those looking for the best of Swiss hospitality and gastronomy are sure to be delighted by the tour.
The article is a result of a collaboration with Swiss Deluxe Hotels
Photos: Pascal Berger
