Andreas Caminada

Discover more about the all-round experience of Andreas Caminada: a respectful approach to fresh ingredients and complex flavours.

Away from the traditional European food circuit, chef Andreas Caminada chose to showcase his vision of gastronomy in an unusual and perfect setting: the historic 13th century castle of Schauenstein, located in Fürstenau (in Graubünden, Switzerland), which claims the title of the smallest town in the world. After stints at fine dining restaurants in Zurich and Germany, Caminada felt it was the ideal location to set up a restaurant and become his own boss.

There, he offers an all-round experience for the guest, something that transcends mere cuisine, which revolves around a respectful approach to fresh ingredients and complex flavours. The site also counts on a luxury six-room inn that provides a romantic and quiet atmosphere to lengthen the experience for those who wish to feel it more in-depth.

In his three-starred restaurant, Caminada, who is natural from Graubünden (where he was born in 1977), focuses his work on simple and generally familiar ingredients (apples, artichoke, mushrooms), even if using them in a unique way. He is also known for his creative contemporary Swiss cuisine that uses ingredients that are grown in the vicinity of his restaurant: his cooking is multifaceted and his signature skill is to combine various preparations of one single ingredient, resulting in surprising flavours. It is the case of the Swiss pikeperch from Lake Lucerne with red onion, buttermilk and radish, or the many recipes he creates using apples. More than 20 variety of apples grow in the valley near Schloss Schauenstein, the chef’s own castle in the Swiss Alps.

Whether crunchy, sweet, crisp, tart or bitter, each component fits intriguingly in a menu designed to enrich the senses, following his philosophy that food should be a sensory journey. Schloss Schauenstein has been ranked in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list since 2012. Seven years before, he was awarded the “Discovery of the Year” Award by Gault Millau and today his restaurant has 19 points in the prestigious guide.

In 2015 he launched his second restaurant brand, IGNIV by Andreas Caminada, with two casual dining hotspots opened at the Grand Resort in Bad Ragaz, and at Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz - both awarded with a Michelin star within their first year after opening. Caminada also owns Remisa-La Tavlada, a more casual venue located alongside Schauenstein.

In the same year, he also set up his own foundation, Fundaziun Uccelin, to support and nurture young, talented chefs and service staff. Starting his business in his twenties with a team of only four employees, Caminada has grown and today coordinates a team of 40.

Caminada learned the essential basics of gastronomy at Hotel Signina in Laax and developed his cooking skills at up-market gourmet restaurants like Hotel Walserhof, in Klosters, Wiesengrund, in Uetikon am See, and Restaurant Bareiss, in Baiersbronn, under the famed three-starred German chef Claus-Peter Lumpp. His experience working with some of the world’s best chefs and in excellent hotels reaped rewards when he moved to Schloss Schauenstein to offer a fulfilling hospitality and culinary experience.

In 2012, Caminada and his partner Sandro Steingruber, likewise a Gault&Millau-recognized chef, decided to set up their own catering business, called Acasa. He also owns Caminada Documenta, a bookazine that provides a fitting showcase for his culinary aspirations and adventures. In its biannual publication, he leads readers into the secrets of how he combines his cuisine with other art forms to reach new levels in his work, sharing the stories behind the dishes and exotic travels.