Switzerland gets a third three-star Michelin restaurant

Peter Knogl in the three-star kitchen of the Cheval Blanc in Basel Keystone

The Cheval Blanc restaurant in Basel has been awarded three Michelin stars, joining the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in canton Vaud and Schloss Schauenstein in canton Graubünden in gastronomy’s most exclusive club. 

The Swiss edition of the 2016 restaurant guide, which will be available in shops on Thursday, said on Wednesday that 18 establishments in Switzerland had two stars and 95 had one star. Switzerland thus remains the European country with the most Michelin stars per capita. 

The guide said the cooking of the Cheval Blanc’s German chef Peter Knogl was “marked by a classical basis with sophisticated ideas full of aromas, power and expression which turn the meal into a unique experience”. 

Knogl has been chef at the Cheval Blanc, which is part of the luxury hotel Les Trois Rois overlooking the Rhine, since 2007. 

Knogl joins Benoît Violier at the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier and Andreas Caminada at Schauenstein, near the ski resort of Laax in the village of Fürstenau. 

Worldwide only around 100 restaurants have three Michelin stars. Japan has the most, followed by France and the United States.