Terrific start to a culinary star show in the Upper Engadine!

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St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, 27th to 31st January 2014

A heavenly period for epicures will begin tonight in the Upper Engadine. The Grand Opening at the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, St. Moritz, will kick off the 2014 St. Moritz Gourmet Festival! For a whole week there will be, once again, an incomparable abundance of exceptionally enjoyable events. Eight international guest master chefs from Germany, France, Japan, the Netherlands and the USA will be the central figures, and will bring a total of 17 Michelin stars to the Upper Engadine! Event admission tickets are still available, even for gourmet fans deciding to come at the last minute (reservation information at: www.stmoritz-gourmetfestival.ch).

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For two decades the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival has enjoyed cult status and it is a sign of its continuing high ranking that again such renowned master chefs will leave their restaurants at home for a whole week in order to follow the call to the Upper Engadine. They are Andree Köthe, Tim Raue and Christian Scharrer from Germany, Mauro Colagreco and Yoann Conte from France, Yoshihiro Takahashi from Japan and Moshik Roth from the Netherlands, as well as Wolfgang Puck from the USA. Together with the equally highly awarded master chefs from the festival partner hotels, they will delight the festival hosts at the official events, and individually at the special events.

Tonight’s kick-off event will be the glamorous Grand Opening at the Kempinski Grand Hotels des Bains, St. Moritz. No fewer than 400 gourmet fans, among them numerous prominent personalities, have obtained admission tickets in order to savour the first samples offered by the eight guest master chefs on their ‘gourmet isles’! As a special surprise the guests will meet the Danish star chef Palle Enevoldsen, who will exclusively spoil them at the Grand Opening with his legendary arts of cookery, together with local master chef Kurt Röösli from the Hotel Waldhaus, Sils-Maria! Fine champagnes, wines and spirits will accompany the culinary delights through the evening. At the following party, which starts at 9 p.m., the live music band Tom Marks & Friends will create the right atmosphere!

From Tuesday onwards, an unrivalled variety of events will follow each other. Among them every evening will be the individual Gourmet Dîners, a fantastic opportunity to savour the art of cookery of each of the star guest master chefs in the stylish restaurants of the festival partner hotels. It is exceptional to find eight international master chefs in one place, without having to travel around the world. At the Gourmet Safaris, BMW saloons will take the guests on a discovery tour of the Chef’s tables of five guest chefs! During the Kitchen Party at the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, the creations of the master chefs can be savoured directly at the stoves of the luxury hotel’s canteen kitchen. The illustrious Kitchen Whispering at the Hotel Schweizerhof, St. Moritz, with guest master chef Andree Köthe and prominent friends such as Rolf Fliegauf, will guarantee enjoyable delights!

Furthermore, at the extremely elegant Fascination Champagne event at the Suvretta House, guest master chef Moshik Roth will create an exclusive dinner, accompanied by appropriate vintage champagnes from the house Laurent-Perrier, Tours-sur-Marne (F). At the Hotel Waldhaus in Sils-Maria, World Class Wines from the wine house Martel St.Gallen, and delicacies by Kurt Röösli from the Waldhaus kitchen will take the guests to a wine paradise, and Maître Antony, the best cheese refiner in the world, will delight at the Wine & Cheese Celebration at the magnificent Cava of Hotel Steffani, St. Moritz! At an altitude of 2,486m, sophisticated Corviglia Caviar & Seafood Blizzards by Reto Mathis will enchant the guests, and at the Carlton Hotel, St. Moritz, for the first time Sake Aperitifs with canapés by three-star guest master chef Yoshihiro Takahashi will be provided! Epicures of sweet temptations will be spoilt by chef pâtissier Stefan Gerber and the renowned Confiserie Sprüngli during the Chocolate Cult at the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, and a multitude of selected specialities and beverages can be tasted extensively at The Tasting on various market stands at the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains in St. Moritz.

This festival, offering incomparable variety and enjoyment, will celebrate its crowning event on Friday evening, with the Great BMW Gourmet Finale on the frozen lake of St. Moritz. Anyone who has ever wanted one day to be a guest in the spectacular tent city will now have the unique opportunity to do so! In front of an exceptional backdrop, all eight guest master chefs, together with the local master chefs of the festival partner hotels, will prepare an outstanding multi-course menu, accompanied by fine champagnes and wines. The evening will end atmospherically with music and dance!

About 4,000 gourmet fans are expected this week in the Upper Engadine! The detailed festival programme and booking information for event admission tickets can be found at www.stmoritz-gourmetfestival.ch. For the first time this year, the eight festival partner hotels offer very individual, special arrangements and attractive extras!

The following festival partners look forward to welcoming gourmet fans from all over the world:

The eight partner hotels
Badrutt’s Palace Hotel***** Superior, St. Moritz;
Carlton Hotel***** Superior, St. Moritz;
Grand Hotel Kronenhof***** Superior, Pontresina;
Hotel Giardino Mountain***** Superior, Champfèr/St. Moritz;
Hotel Schweizerhof**** Superior, St. Moritz;
Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains***** Superior , St. Moritz;
Kulm Hotel St. Moritz***** Superior and
Suvretta House***** Superior, St. Moritz, as well as
the three event locations Cava, Hotel Steffani****, St. Moritz; Hotel Waldhaus*****, Sils-Maria, and Mathis Food Affairs, Corviglia/St. Moritz.

Furthermore, the festival is supported by the tremendous commitment of the following sponsors:

Title sponsor & official car: BMW (Schweiz) AG. Main sponsor: Valser. Co-sponsors: Amici Caffè AG, ASA Selection GmbH, Caratello Weine St.Gallen, Confiserie Sprüngli AG, Ecolab (Schweiz) GmbH, G. Bianchi AG, Laurent-Perrier Suisse S.A., Martel AG St.Gallen, Maura Wasescha AG, Rageth Comestibles AG and Schwob AG. Suppliers: Bader+Niederöst AG, Bragard (Kwintet Schweiz AG), Hugo Dubno AG, the butcher’s shop Pietro Peduzzi, Nonino Distillatori S.p.a. Local carrier: Massé and Partner Transports GmbH. Local media partner: Engadiner Post/Posta Ladina. Media partners: Bolero magazine, dasfilet.ch (gourmet blog), Edition Port Culinaire, marmite – magazine on eating and drinking culture, htr hotel revue, restaurant-news.de.

An overview of the 2014 St. Moritz Gourmet Festival guest chefs:

Wolfgang Puck (two Michelin stars, ‘Business Statesman of the Year 2001’, Emmy award winner, Restaurant Spago, Beverly Hills/USA, www.wolfgangpuck.com / Chef founder ‘CUT at 45 Park Lane’, part of the Dorchester Collection, London/UK, www.45parklane.com) Guest of master chef Mauro Taufer, Badrutt’s Palace Hotel***** Superior, St. Moritz, www.badruttspalace.com.
Andree Köthe (two Michelin stars, 18 GaultMillau points, ‘Chef of the Year 2012’ (GaultMillau), Restaurant Essigbrätlein, Nuremberg/D)
Guest of master chef Christian Ott, Hotel Schweizerhof**** Superior, St. Moritz, www.schweizerhofstmoritz.ch;
Tim Raue (two Michelin stars, 19 GaultMillau points, Restaurant TIM RAUE, Berlin/D, www.tim-raue.com)
Guest of master chef Fabrizio Piantanida, Grand Hotel Kronenhof***** Superior, www.kronenhof.com;
Christian Scharrer (two Michelin stars, 18 GaultMillau points, ‘Chef of the Year 2011’ (Bertelsmann publishing house), Restaurant Buddenbrooks / A-ROSA Resorts & Hideaways, Travemünde/D, www.resort.a-rosa.de/travemuende)
Guest of master chef Markus Rose, Hotel Giardino Mountain***** Superior, Champfèr/St. Moritz,
www.giardino-mountain.ch; Mauro Colagreco (two Michelin stars, four toques, No. 28 World’s Best Restaurants, ‘Chef of the Year 2009’ of France, Restaurant Mirazur, Menton/F, www.maurocolagreco.com))
Guest of master chef Axel Rüdlin, Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains***** Superior, St. Moritz,
www.kempinski-stmoritz.ch;
Yoann Conte (two Michelin stars, four toques, Restaurant Yoann Conte, Annecy/F, www.yoann-conte.com)
Guest of master chef Hans Nussbaumer im Kulm Hotel St. Moritz***** Superior, www.kulmhotel-stmoritz.ch;
Yoshihiro Takahashi (three Michelin stars, Restaurant Hyotei, Kyoto/J, www.hyotei.co.jp/en/)
Guest of master chef Salvatore Frequente, Carlton Hotel***** Superior, St. Moritz, www.carlton-stmoritz.ch;
Moshik Roth (two Michelin stars, Restaurant &samhoud places, Amsterdam/NL, www.samhoudplaces.com/en)
Guest of master chef Bernd Ackermann, Suvretta House***** Superior, St. Moritz, www.suvrettahouse.ch;