Travel Guide: On the road with Anton Mosimann

Presidents, prime ministers, the royals, half of Hollywood and London’s high society have all enjoyed the privilege of sitting at Anton Mosimann’s table. The only way to top this exclusive experience is to dine with him. Switzerland’s most famous chef is the perfect old-school gentleman and a walking history book. We had the privilege of accompanying him on his rally through half of Switzerland – in the slipstream of his fiery red Jaguar XKR8.

Mosimann
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The Grand Tour Deluxe through Switzerland starts on the grounds of the César Ritz Colleges Switzerland, a hotel management school in Le Bouveret at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. The Mosimanns have travelled from their Swiss home base of Montreux – but they also have a long-time residence in London. Their vehicle is quintessentially British: a fiery red Jaguar convertible built in 1998. Anton opens the passenger door for his wife Kathrin, his chivalry not in the slightest dimmed over the years. They have been married for half a century and celebrated their anniversary in Tokyo in April. ‘I met Kathrin on a flight to Japan in 1970. She was sitting in my window seat! I was happy to let her have it.’

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The gentleman chef treats every counterpart with respect, even his own portrait. Anton Mosimann seems to be saying ‘Please smile’ to his likeness – as he always does himself.

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The Mosimann Collection in Le Bouveret features hundreds of black and white photographs of the star chef with his guests – here with Diana, Princess of Wales.

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Both were on their way to Expo 70, he as head of the brigade in the Swiss pavilion, she as general governess.

They have been inseparable ever since. According to the couple, the secret to long-lasting love is honesty and respect. ‘Early on, I told Kathrin that my job would always come first for me. She respected that and let me work.’ Hard work – you don’t become the youngest boss at the legendary Dorchester – at just 28 years old – without it.

Or the Queen’s favourite chef – the go-to for royal anniversaries, state receptions and weddings. The UK’s first TV chef and author of a dozen cookery books.

Or mentioned in the same breath as the greats of the hospitality industry, César Ritz and Eugen Pauli. Anton shares his birthday, 23 February, with them.

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For once, Anton Mosimann is not coming to Le Bouveret to work, but to guide our small group through his culinary kingdom. Since the summer of 2016, the chef has been putting his energy into building up The Anton Mosimann Collection.

On display are 6,000 cookery books spanning five centuries, the crowning glory of which is Pope Paul I’s cookery book from the 16th century.

Other pearls of this collection include first editions of the legendary chef Auguste Escoffier and original menu cards belonging to emperors and tsars.

Hundreds of photos show the chef with his fans, bringing together the elite from the worlds of politics, sport, business and showbiz of the last four decades.

“He has worked in 80 Houses and cities around the world.”

All of Mosimann’s engagements are listed on one wall; he has worked in 80 houses and cities around the world. Mosimann wants to use the exhibition to motivate young people to take up the ‘wonderful profession of chef’; he himself has trained around 1,000 chefs. His first teachers were his father and mother, who ran an inn serving simple, honest cuisine.

He earned his first money in his parents’ business by working in the kitchen, serving guests – and raising rabbits. This sparked his passion for the catering industry, which he has cultivated with dedication over the course of his professional life.

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The Anton Mosimann Collection includes 6,000 cookery books from five centuries and documents from his long career as well as his own recipes, all neatly organised.

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A cut above

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Fresh bread warm from the oven and a glass of Swiss white wine – Anton Mosimann also appreciates the simple pleasures. ‘After decades in the kitchen, I love being able to just sit down at a table and be surprised.’

Cooking is part of Anton Mosimann’s DNA

Sat above the rippling waters of Lake Geneva in Le Bouveret is a treasure trove of gastronomy. The Mosimann Collection is the pride and joy of celebrated Swiss chef Anton Mosimann OBE.

It’s home to rare cookery books, collectible menus, culinary artefacts and masses of memorabilia, including gifts from the British royal family, that he has collected over his distinguished career.

One of the first celebrity chefs, Anton is now retired from the professional kitchen but still very much keeps his finger on the pulse, representing the industry at events and mentoring students at César Ritz Colleges Switzerland and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, where his Collection is based.

As well as welcoming visitors for tours, Anton’s vast collection is open to the hospitality students. Eminently approachable and kind, Anton makes a point of taking time to chat to students and any aspiring chefs he meets on his travels. He’s keen to help them flourish in what he describes as the best job in the world.

‘I feel very lucky to have had the career that I’ve had and now I have an opportunity to meet and inspire the next generation at my Collection.

I want to share my experiences and knowledge so the up-and-coming talent think if Mosimann can do it, so can I. We need them now more than ever,’ he says.

The octogenarian chef certainly has plenty of pearls of wisdom and incredible experiences to impart. He’s amassed numerous professional accolades, starred on TV and cooked for countless stars of the stage and screen, not to mention royalty and the political elite.

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For a change an outing with two horsepower: a coach ride through Gstaad to the cheese cellar, where thousands of wheels of Berner Alpkäse AOP are stored.

He first discovered his passion for food at the tender age of eight, having been born to parents who ran a small restaurant in Nidau, just near Biel in the Jura.

He began cooking aged eight and has fond memories of making butterzopf or Sunday bread (a weekly ritual he’s retained).

The keen young cook took an apprenticeship at a local hotel aged 15, before holding positions at five different palace hotels in Switzerland, including Gstaad Palace where he was an apprentice pastry chef and the now Mandarin Oriental Palace, Lucerne.

At the age of 25, he became one of the youngest chefs to receive the coveted Chef de Cuisine Diploma and he has travelled all over the world to cook.

But there’s one overseas engagement that stands out. He was head chef at the Swiss Pavilion during Expo ’70 in Japan, where he met his wife Kathrin, who was working as the chief housekeeper.

The couple later moved to London where Anton became the youngest ever Maître Chef des Cuisines at The Dorchester, garnering two Michelin stars. It was the first hotel restaurant outside of France to get this accolade.

Anton became known for his lighter style of fine dining, known as cuisine naturelle, which he later presented at his private members’ club Mosimann's in Belgravia. King Charles III is a long-time admirer (‘especially of my lamb – always organic’), asking Anton to cook for him numerous times, including for his 50th birthday celebrations and the wedding of William and Kate.

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Bouquets of dried flowers and gleaming copper hang in the show kitchen of the Mosimann Collection in Le Bouveret.

‘I believe in simplicity. Let food taste of what it is. I always try to elevate it and tweak it but let the natural flavours shine through,’ he says.

Returning to live in Montreux a few years ago, the couple adore this part of Switzerland – the sunsets, the lakeside strolls, the wines and the food.

While he loves to eat simply at home – he’s particularly fond of cooking the freshly caught fish from Lake Geneva his friend brings him – he enjoys dining out regularly to see what his fellow chefs are up to.

His favourite local summertime haunt is La Terrasse du Petit Palais at Fairmont Le Montreux Palace.

‘There’s no nicer place to watch the sunset over the lake with some light, seasonal food and good friends,’ he says.

Recent memorable meals have included Focus at Park Hotel Vitznau on the shores of Lake Lucerne and trying his friend Heiko Nieder’s ‘incredibly intricate and creative cooking’ at the Dolder Grand in Zurich. He’s also fond of a glass of the local Lavaux wine, strictly after 6 p.m. mind.

‘The wines in Switzerland have improved a lot in recent years.

They are very delicate and lovingly produced. We don’t make huge quantities but it’s small and top quality today. And, of course, you should always drink local wine with local food.

It goes hand in hand,’ he says.

The last
gentleman chef

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The Fairmont Le Montreux Palace. Mosimann’s tomato- red Jaguar shines between the pillars of the driveway.

Today, the Mosimanns enjoy their free time together. Since 1988, Mosimann has been running a private club in London, in a former church in the upmarket Belgravia neighbourhood.

Three years ago, he handed over the reins to his sons Philipp and Mark – so he knows that the brand bearing his name is in the best possible hands.

In the summer of 2023, Anton and Kathrin decided that their Grand Tour through half of Switzerland was the perfect opportunity to dedicate some time to their hobbies: eating and travelling. Mosimann, or The Last Gentleman Chef as he is sometimes known, visited the Swiss Deluxe Hotels, a brand for whom he serves as ambassador. ‘I never used to have time to visit all the grand hotels.

Today I really enjoy being a guest, just being able to sit down at the table and eat with Kathrin,’ says Mosimann.

Wherever Mosimann appears, he is received as an honoured guest by the management. And in the kitchens of luxury hotels, nervousness breaks out in the knowledge that the most famous British chef with Swiss roots is at the table.

This is a privilege that our group also appreciates. But, for all his expertise and worldliness, our companion is not bothered by all our questions. He devotes himself calmly to every single bite, praises the chefs’ creations and is happy to be shown round the kitchens after the meal, engage in shop talk with the chefs and pose for photos with the staff.

When Mosimann walks through a hotel kitchen, the atmosphere is as reverent as when a king or pope visits. Everyone knows the man, not least thanks to his bow tie. This chic accessory is Mosimann’s trademark: he owns around 300 in total, many of them in bright and bold colours.

‘My mother bought me my first one when I was seven. She said that men with bow ties make a good impression. Only doctors and educated men wore them back then,’ Mosimann – now in his mid-seventies – recalls.

“He owns around 300 bow ties in total”

Between the rally stops, Anton Mosimann cultivates his other hobby: beautiful, fast cars. He drives a tomato-red Jaguar XKR8 built in 1998. Like cooking, he discovered and cultivated this passion for himself at an early age. ‘My first car was a Spitfire. I bought it before I got my driving licence.

The exotic car caused quite a stir in the village!’ A foreign sports car seemed to the young chef like the promise of the big, wide world – a world that he would go on to explore, sometimes on four wheels. He took part in numerous rallies, including across Russia and Mongolia. ‘Our convoy arrived half-starved in Ulaanbaatar after a terrible day full of mishaps.

We were dusty and dirty, our hands smeared with oil. A visit to a restaurant was out of the question in our state. At the huge market in the metropolis, I found some luncheon meat of dubious quality and a Russian Emmental cheese, or at least cheese with holes in it. I used these ingredients to make what is probably the world’s worst Wurstsalat. But we were so famished that it tasted wonderful.’ Things were more comfortable at the rallies that Mosimann later organised himself.

He travelled twice in convoy with a group of fellow classic car lovers from London through half of Europe on the Grand Tour through Switzerland, stopping at luxury hotels along the way. Unfortunately, the last planned Mosimann Rally fell victim to the pandemic.

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His mother gave Anton his first bow tie when he was seven years old. ‘A man always makes an impression in a bow tie!’ The elegant neckwear item became Mosimann’s trademark.

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‘In summer, there's no better place to enjoy the sunset by the lake in the evening, with fine food and good friends,’ says Anton Mosimann about La Terrasse du Petit Palais at the Fairmont Montreux Palace in his adopted home in French-speaking Switzerland.

Words Anita Lehmeier
Photos Elena Steness