Benoît Carcenat, chef at La Table du Valrose hotel restaurant in Rougemont, has been named “Chef of the Year 2023” by GaultMillau Switzerland. The gastronomic guide awarded him 18 points out of 20.
French-born Carcenat, 42, has been running the Valrose establishment in canton Vaud with his wife, Sabine, since 2021.
“I had never worked in the mountains before. And in fact, you realise that it’s a paradise for cooks, because as soon as you go into the mountains, you go 20 metres and you have plants, fruit, roots. It’s an open-air garden,” he said on Monday.
Before joining Rougemont, Carcenat worked for almost ten years at the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, one of only four Swiss restaurants to have three Michelin stars, before moving to the Pays d’Enhaut and creating the “Table du Valrose”.
He says his cuisine is “essentially centred on the product, as local as possible” and is combined with “slightly more exotic touches” inspired by his travels around the world. “It’s a cuisine that we hope will be easy to understand – sensitive and emotional. With a bit of audacity and a touch of madness too.”
More
More
Fourth Swiss restaurant awarded three Michelin stars
This content was published on
Switzerland now has four restaurants with three Michelin stars: Memories, in Bad Ragaz, eastern Switzerland, has joined the exclusive club.
For the 2023 edition of the GaultMillau guideExternal link there is only one change in the “19 point club”, which has been reduced from seven chefs to six following the retirement of Bernard Ravet in Vufflens-le-Château. They are Franck Giovannini in Crissier, Philippe Chevrier in Satigny, Andreas Caminada in Fürstenau, Tanja Grandits in Basel, Peter Knogl also in Basel, and Heiko Nieder in Zurich.
Other awards announced on Monday included “Sommelier of the Year” for Peter Zimmermann at the Zermatterhof in Zermatt and “Pastry Chef of the Year” for Othmane Khoris at The Alpina in Gstaad.
The GaultMillau 2023 lists 870 restaurants, including 89 new discoveries. For this edition, 93 chefs gained one point, while 45 chefs lost one.
More
More
Swiss restaurant diners face energy surcharges
This content was published on
Restaurants in Switzerland are passing on the cost of rising energy prices to diners with the blessing of the industry’s umbrella group.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Picking up the baton as the world’s best chef
This content was published on
The at-times frantic clicking on and off of a pen is the only sign of the adrenaline below the surface in this boyish-looking 42-year-old. He’s leading a lunch service at the restaurant in the Lausanne suburbs, which is adorned with three Michelin stars and 19 Gault&Millau points. Last year it was also named best in…
This content was published on
In our new series on the foods of the future, we tell you about the science behind new foods and how our way of eating is changing.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.