Portrait of a chef: Andreas Caminada (Switzerland)

With its harsh climate and long winters, the Graubünden region unsurprisingly developed a hearty, fortifying mountain cuisine with dishes such as venison stew, left to rest for three days and served with chestnuts, oven-baked röstis, black bread with dried pears and figs, stuffed Swiss chard paupiettes and, of course, the traditional meat and barley soup…

 

Today, however, Graubünden boasts one of the most refined and creative chefs in the whole of Switzerland, Andreas Caminada.

 

To reach his 18th century castle in Fürstenau (24 km south-west of Chur), we took the wonderful Glacier Express from Davos. This famous train passes through magnificent scenery, running alongside ravines, stopping at little mountain stations and crossing the very impressive Landwasser viaduct near the village of Filisur.

 

Upon our arrival we immediately fell under the spell of this castle, surrounded by mountains and tastefully restored by Caminada and his wife, giving it a modern, woody ambiance. With just 5 or 6 rooms, the Schauenstein Schloss Hotel Restaurant doesn’t belong to any Relais & Châteaux-type luxury chain. This reputation of the establishment is all down to the talent of an extraordinary and fiercely independent couple.

 

Andreas Caminada, 32, learned his trade most notably under the great three-starred German chef Claus-Peter Lumpp at Restaurant Bareiss in Baiersbronn (the Black Forest) before deciding to put down roots in his native land. It was a good move. His work and obstinacy soon earned him two Michelin stars. Like Alain Passard, chef at L’Arpège in Paris, Caminada is passionate about vegetables, sourcing them from small market gardeners in Graubünden. But the chef he feels closest to is, undoubtedly, Jean-Georges Klein at the three Michelin-starred L’Arnsbourg restaurant in Moselle: “This chef is always there in his restaurant. He’s both creative and modest which, for me, is the main thing!”

 

Caminada evidently sees himself first and foremost as a chef rather than a businessman or artist... His cuisine is extremely refined, always artistic, often miniaturised and polished, which doesn’t mean that the portions are meagre (quite the opposite in fact!). Caminada is constantly transforming, sculpting and refining his products. He likes contrasts, combining hot and cold, sweet and savoury, mild and bitter, yet always making sure to bring out each product’s own particular flavour.

 

Warm langoustines served with mustard sorbet make a lovely starter to whet the appetite. Next comes a thin fillet of veal flavoured with grapefruit and accompanied by a potato flan sprinkled with Alba truffle. Never forgetting the hint of sharpness that livens up his menu, Caminada then dishes up an excellent white scallop with carpaccio of beetroot in vinaigrette. The restaurant’s signature dishes are the fine ravioli with lemon peel and the incredibly tender, melt-in-the-mouth Graubünden lamb.

 

The only criticism that could be levelled at this young chef (and many others besides) is to have forgotten that 21st century diners still have teeth and that it can be pleasant, every now and then, to have something a little firmer to chew on…We aren’t, after all, toothless old people who can only manage mousses and soft textures! But let’s not be too harsh, this trend will pass as all fashions do, and Andreas Caminada has an imagination of his own!

 

 

Schlossgass 71

7414 Fürstenau

Meals from €70 to €131, without wine.