Marco Campanella named Switzerland’s ‘Chef of the Year 2025’

In total, seven chefs across Switzerland have achieved this prestigious score. Keystone / Ti-Press / Samuel Golay

Marco Campanella was named ‘Chef of the Year 2025’ by GaultMillau Switzerland on Monday. He is “the next great culinary talent of Switzerland,” said Urs Heller, director of GaultMillau Switzerland.

He works in both canton Ticino and Graubünden and has received a score of 19 out of 20. In total, seven chefs across Switzerland have achieved this prestigious score.

“It had been five years since any new chef had obtained a score of 19 out of 20, but this year, we have finally found the next great culinary talent of Switzerland,” said Urs Heller, director of GaultMillau Switzerland, who is full of praise for Marco Campanella, stating that he “impresses more each year and continues to evolve in his quest for culinary excellence.”

The 32-year-old chef divides his time between two establishments. In summer, he cooks at Eden Roc in Ascona, in canton Ticino, while in winter, he is in the kitchen at ‘Tschuggen’ in Arosa, in canton Graubünden. According to the guide, “his cuisine is particularly distinguished by its vegetarian and vegan dishes”.

In an interview on the 12h30 programme on Swiss public radio RTS, Knut Schwander, head of GaultMillau in French-speaking Switzerland, noted that while meat and fish continue to be highly valued “and allow for magnificent creations,” garnishes and purely plant-based dishes “often enable chefs to express themselves in new ways, innovate, and progress.”

Campanella is only the seventh Swiss chef to get 19 points

Six other chefs have achieved 19 points, namely Tanja Grandits at ‘Stucki’ in Basel, Peter Knogl at ‘Cheval Blanc’ in Basel, Franck Giovannini at ‘Hôtel de Ville’ in Crissier, in canton Vaud, Andreas Caminada at ‘Schloss Schauenstein’ in Fürstenau in canton
Graubünden, Philippe Chevrier at ‘Domaine de Châteauvieux’ in Satigny, in canton Geneva, and Heiko Nieder at ‘Dolder Grand’ in Zurich. All maintain their level of excellence.

“It is essential to be very careful to award this score only to a chef who we know or believe will sustain excellence. It should not be just a passing achievement,” explains Knut Schwander. “We like to keep these 19/20 scores for many years.”

For the second time, Gault&Millau is awarding the ‘green’ chef of the year distinction for commitment to sustainable cooking. The award goes to Nicolas Darnauguilhem of ‘Pinte des Mossettes’ in Cerniat, in canton Fribourg.

The king of pastry is from Geneva

In Geneva, just behind ‘Domaine de Châteauvieux’, ‘Bayview by Michel Roth’ is the second highest-rated establishment in the canton, with a score of 18. Following closely are ‘L’Atelier Robuchon’ and ‘L’Aparté’, both located in Geneva, and ‘Le Cigalon’ in Thônex, each with a rating of 17. Making its debut in the guide, ‘F.P. Journe’ in Geneva has been awarded a score of 16/20.

Named ‘Pastry Chef of the Year 2025’ by G&M, Titouan Claudet is a member of the team at the five-star Geneva hotel, ‘The Woodward’.

No establishment in Neuchâtel reaches a score of 17

In canton Jura, ‘Maison Wenger’ in Noirmont maintains its status with a score of 18/20, as does ‘Du Bourg’ in Biel with 17/20. In canton Neuchâtel, only ‘La Croisette’ in Le Locle achieves a 16, but no establishment reaches a score of 17.

Nine establishments in canton Vaud have achieved a score of at least 17. Following ‘L’Hôtel de Ville’ in Crissier, ‘Restaurant Stéphane Décotterd’ in Glion and ‘Pic at Beau-Rivage Palace’ in Lausanne have retained their scores of 18. ‘Le Berceau des Sens’ in the Vaud capital has risen from 16 to 17.

Among the year’s discoveries, G&M cites chef Grégory Halgand of ‘L’Hôtel de Ville’ in Ollon, who has earned 15 points. ‘La Table des Horlogers’ in Brassus makes its debut in the guide with a score of 16.

Finally, in canton Valais has three additional establishments with scores of 17/20, bringing the total to eight. These include ‘Au 1465’ in Champex-Lac, ‘Gilles Varone’ in Savièse, and ‘La Table d’Adrien’ in Verbier. Franck Reynaud of ‘L’Hostellerie du Pas-de-l’Ours’ in Crans-Montana remains the highest-rated chef in Valais with a score of 18.

The 2025 edition of the GaultMillau guide lists around 880 restaurants, including 96 new entries, 100 gastronomic hotels, and the 150 best winemakers in Switzerland. A total of 103 chefs have been promoted, while 42 have lost a point.

Translated from French by DeepL/sp

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