This year's spring edition of the SWISS Taste of Switzerland culinary concept bears the signature of Sandro Steingruber from the canton of Graubünden, who has been running the "Vista" restaurant in Sagogn for eight years. His Ticino origins are reflected not only in his dishes, but also in his hospitality. This, he emphasises, is at the heart of the restaurant experience for him. That's why he cultivates this attitude in his team and every member of staff does their best to ensure that guests leave the "Vista" happy.

For Sandro, who already enjoyed cooking as a child, culinary art has always been a passion: "Food is a shared experience and something to celebrate with friends." Today, he prefers to experiment with products that he can source from the region. He also likes to add a Mediterranean flavour to his dishes and therefore enjoys cooking with fish.

 

Peculiarities of the flight kitchen

After completing a traditional apprenticeship as a chef, he gained various experiences in the world of gastronomy, including working for a catering company. The knowledge he acquired helped him with the task for SWISS, as he was familiar with the work processes in industrial kitchens. However, even for a professional, the restrictions of a flight kitchen are a challenge. After all, the look and flavour should still be right, and a touch of Graubünden tradition – although far distant from the Alps – should be guaranteed.

Pascal Derksen, Inflight Culinary Development responsible at SWISS, is aware of the challenge and knows that there must always be a willingness to compromise on both sides: "It is important that we ultimately bring the chef's signature on board, but also take into account that the large production volume can be realised."

 

A proven concept

The taste buds of our SWISS First and Business guests are guaranteed to never get bored. This is thanks to the "SWISS Taste of Switzerland" culinary concept, which has been around as long as SWISS itself – over 20 years. Every three months, the creations of a new guest chef are brought on board to represent the many facets and dishes from all regions of Switzerland. This offers advantages for the guest, but also for SWISS, as Pascal Derksen explains: "The concept gives us the opportunity to keep up to date with the latest culinary trends. The rotating guest chefs always bring us innovations and thus also help us to invent new dishes that we have not yet brought to the table."