Mosimann’s cookbook collection goes on show

Anton Mosimann (centre) is proud to have his collection in Switzerland ©Swiss Education Group

Top Swiss chef Anton Mosimann’s unique collection of historical cookbooks and rare culinary objects - said to be the largest of its kind - is now on permanent display in Switzerland.

The Mosimann CollectionExternal link – a culinary heritage is being housed at the Swiss Education Group’s César Ritz CollegesExternal link Campus in Le Bouveret, on Lake Geneva. It was opened on Friday.

Mosimann, who is London-based, has cooked for heads of state and royalty, including for the wedding banquet for Prince William and Kate MiddletonExternal link in 2011.

The chef said it was a great honour for his culinary collection to be granted a permanent home.

“I have long dreamed of the opportunity to bring everything together under one roof to help those starting out in the catering industry. I could never have imagined that it would happen within my lifetime, and in such a magnificent setting,” he said in a statement.

Recipes, jam tips

The collection is made up of more than6,000 works, including the world’s largest cookbook from 1733, and the Renaissance seer Nostradamus’s treatise on making jam. There are also hundreds of menu cards, some of which are associated with European royalty, as well as personal souvenirs and works by Swiss artists such as Jean Tinguely.

The display will be permanently open to students from the school but the public will be admitted on Sundays from June 12.

Last year, the Basel Toy Worlds Museum pulled off quite a coup when it was allowed to show part of Mosimann’s collection as its Christmas show.External link

Speaking to swissinfo.ch at the time, the dapper, bow-tie wearing chef said that he had even cooked some of the ancient dishes from his books for clients at his club, Mosimann’s, in London.

The Swiss chef’s careerExternal link spans over 50 years. He was born into a family of restauranteurs, rising to an international career which saw him gain two Michelin stars as Head Chef at the Dorchester Hotel in London. In 2004 he received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the Queen.