Among the current top chefs, Swiss chef Andreas Caminada, the master of the Castle, stands out with nine Michelin stars, plus two green stars, as a reward for a cuisine vision that is both elegant and committed.
Cover photo: @Thomas Meier
The story
Fürstenau, in the Graubünden canton, is known as the smallest town in the world with its 340 inhabitants. However, it is renowned mainly because it is home to the picturesque Schauenstein Castle, dating back to the 12th century, nestled in the enchanting landscape of the Swiss Alps, where one of the most important restaurants is located.
It bears the name of its location and is run by Andreas Caminada, born in 1977 in Sogogn, another village in deep Switzerland, and early on inclined towards cooking. So much so that he completed an accelerated apprenticeship in the best establishments in the area, covering various culinary sections. And then, at the age of just twenty-six, he set his blue eyes on that enchanted castle: the decision to purchase, renovate, and convert it into a hotel was immediate.
But the Michelin Guide didn't waste time: a year later, in 2004, it awarded him the first star, the second in 2007, and the third in 2010, at just thirty-four years old, recently followed by the green star. Gault & Millau rates him at 19 points, while The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2023 ranks him fortieth in the global ranking. The accolades are endless.
Despite the modernist touches in its furnishings, the restaurant blends perfectly with the landscape, from which Caminada sources essential ingredients, sometimes harvested from the castle's own lands. Those who know him say he feels "like a countryman," and with skillful hands, he handles butter and cheeses. In these parts, bread is baked in the wood-fired oven of the ancient stables, while not far away, coffee is roasted. For the chef, it is a precise and non-negotiable commitment: sustainability has been at the center of his efforts for quite some time, although the ultimate goal he aims for, complete self-sufficiency, is still on the distant horizon.
But sustainability is not the only cause Caminada has embraced: a small portion of the proceeds from menu sales is donated to the Fundaziun Uccelin, a non-profit organization that promotes young gastronomic talents worldwide, offering them significant growth opportunities. With a special focus on young female chefs, victims of the usual glass ceiling, whom he supports in partnership with Clare Smyth and Ana Roš.
Over the years, the restaurants of the renowned chef have multiplied, even though the heart remains in the mountains: there are Igniv in Bad Ragaz, Zurich, and Bangkok, with their elegant shared dishes, worth 5 Michelin stars; the latest addition is Oz, a vegetarian table faithful to the garden-to-table concept, also hosted in the castle and endowed with a green and red star.
