Rico Zandonella named Gault Millau Chef of the Year

Rico Zandonella (right) was praised for his “bold and detailed” cooking Keystone

Rico Zandonella has been named Swiss “Chef of the Year 2017” by the Gault Millau restaurant guide, receiving 18 points out of 20. Also notable were the 19 points kept by “Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville” following the death in January of top chef Benoît Violier.

Zandonella, from canton Ticino, was handed the toque at the “Kunststuben” in Küsnacht, canton Zurich, by Horst Petermann in 2011. The restaurant has since been renamed “Rico’sExternal link”.

The Swiss edtion of the French guide on Monday praised Zandonella’s “bold and detailed” cooking, welcoming the fact that he had “shaken up the menu, rejuvenated the restaurant’s concept and lowered prices”.

In answer to whether Franck Giovannini would keep 19 points at “L’Hôtel de VilleExternal link” in Crissier near Lausanne – after the suicide of Violier in January – the answer was a resounding yes.

Giovannini is outstanding, according to Urs Heller, editor of Gault Millau Switzerland. “We visited him several times throughout the year and we didn’t have the slightest doubt about giving him the highest marks,” he said.

Giovannini is one of six chefs in Switzerland with 19 points, four of whom are in French-speaking Switzerland. No chef currently has the maximum – and very rare – 20 points.

“L’Hôtel de Ville” is also one of three restaurants in Switzerland with three Michelin stars.