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President of the Grandes Tables de Suisse, André Jaeger is the chef of Rheinhotel Fischerzunft, Relais Châteaux, in the Swiss town of Shaffausen. After many experiences, from London to Hong Kong, chef Jaeger came back to the 17th-century family hotel: formerly the parent company of a fishermen's corporation, it was taken over from his father in 1975 by André, bringing contemporary gastronomy with an Asian twist to the banks of the river Rhine.
Fine Dining Lovers caught up with the chef to find out more about his cooking style of ‘nouvelle cuisine’ influenced by Asian flavours and cooking techniques, his future projects and love for food. Read the interview below and enjoy the video above.
Is there any new developments on your menu?
As we progress, we are getting more and more transparent, if not simple. Our most important emphasis is the product. If at all local, sourced in the vicinity, but also Swiss and of course Europe to some extend. This is quite fascinating, since we have always adapted the philosophy to use local and European products, and pairing and preparing them with asian spices, cooking methods and some products. To ever so often question what we are doing is very passionate, even more so, that many are now a days doing exactly that, under another declaration.
Any exciting future projects?
Lately I have been approached by several people for guidance and help. I am had the great fortune to be invited to realize a totally new project for a 5 star Hotel. Considering that they where running two fine dine concepts on the same premises, competing with each other, I strongly advised them to be daring and to do something totally different, non existing up to now in Switzerland. We have opened the Restaurant on Easter Saturday and it has been very well received.
Tell us about some Asian ingredients that are exciting you for this season.
Amongst the ones we are using since quite some time, the hit are Wakame sea weed, fantastic and malty usable, and the second is fresh wasabi root. It is not easily available, very perishable, but very exciting. Taste wise it is totally different from the paste and powder, which are not bad, but by far not as delicate.
