The Swiss chef who became the world’s best

With numerous Michelin stars under his belt, Swiss cook Daniel Humm is the head chef and one of the owners of the best restaurant in the world, according to an influential 2017 ranking. He took his first steps towards becoming a professional chef at age 14, and now lives and works in the United States.

The Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York was chosen for the top spot in the list of the World’s 50 Best RestaurantsExternal link in 2017. The ranking is a highly regarded rival to the Michelin Guide, and describes Humm’s fine dining experience as “the perfect partnership of outstanding hospitality and exquisite food in an iconic setting”.

Humm was born in 1976 in canton Aargau. After completing his professional training at a large hotel in Zurich, he worked at the 3-Michelin star ‘Restaurant Pont de Brent’ near Montreux, canton Vaud.

He was just 24 years old when he received his first Michelin star. He was working as the head chef at ‘Gasthaus zum Gupf’ in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden. In 2003 he moved to San Francisco, where he won numerous awards for his cooking. And in 2006 he took over running the Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York. Five years later it was awarded its third Michelin star, and in 2017 hit the number one spot on the ‘World’s Best’ list.