St. Moritz : Celebrating The Fastest Michelin Star In History & The World’s Highest Whisky Distillery

On and off the slopes, St. Moritz offers the very best of the best, including gourmet food and drink. One of the latest additions to the restaurant scene is the K by Mauro Colagreco at the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz (www.kulm.com). It opened a year ago, on 22 December 2020, and six weeks later had secured its first Michelin star, the fastest in the Guide’s history.

Mauro Colagreco was born in October 1976 in Argentina of Italian ancestry. In 2001, he moved to France to train at the Lycée Hôtelier de la Rochelle, followed by stints working for the great chefs Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse and Guy Martin. In 2006, he decided to open his own restaurant, Mirazur, in Menton. A year later, it gained its first Michelin star and in 2009 Colagreco was named “Chef of the Year” by Gault Millau. In 2019, Mirazur was awarded three Michelin stars and was named the No.1 restaurant in the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list.

On awarding the star to the K, the Michelin Guide commented, “Unfortunately, this tasteful restaurant in the elegant Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is only open in the winter season”, so guests who want to sample it must visit in the coming months. Additionally, the Guide wrote, “This restaurant is home to the multi-faceted, perfectly balanced and always unexpected cuisine of the Argentine culinary grandmaster Mauro Colagreco, renowned thanks to his 3-star restaurant Mirazur in Menton on the Côte d'Azur”, while a diner who visited in January 2021 wrote on TripAdvisor, “Perfection in everything: beautiful presentation of each single part of the dishes; wonderful combination of tastes”.

Colagreco’s food philosophy is all about freshness, simplicity, balance of colour and bringing out authentic flavours. One of his star ingredients is lemon, which makes anchovy fillets set on fried anchovy skeletons pop and sing, while “Luxus beta vulgaris” is a signature dish that combines the everyday (salt encrusted beetroot) with the ultimate luxury (Oscietre caviar cream).

The K by Mauro Colagreco is open for dinner only, from 19:00 to 21:30 hours, Tuesday to Saturday inclusive. Reservations for the K by Mauro Colagreco can be made by emailing fb@kulm.com

Food enthusiasts will want to combine a trip to the K by Mauro Colagreco with attendance at the annual St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, which has been bringing together selected stars and icons from kitchens all around the world in the Upper Engadine for over 25 years. The theme of the Festival in 2022 is “Swiss Made”, with a focus on the wealth and culinary diversity of Swiss gastronomy. The very best Swiss chefs – alongside the excellent executive chefs from the festival’s partner hotels – are all set to entertain festival guests with their cookery skills and surprise them with delicacies from the culinary paradise that is Switzerland.  

Tanja Grandits, the chef of the legendary two Michelin star Stucki restaurant in Basel who is known for her virtuoso handling of aromas, spices and textures, will be heading to the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz for the Festival. Meanwhile Mitja Birlo, Head Chef at restaurant 7132 Silver (also with two Michelin stars) at the 7132 Hotel in Vals, will be taking up residence at sister property Grand Hotel Kronenhof for the Festival; his speciality is cooking with the food he forages in mountain forests and Alpine pastures.

The St. Moritz Gourmet Festival takes place from 28 January to 5 February; more details can be found at www.stmoritz-gourmetfestival.ch/en.

Whisky lovers will also want to make sure their visit to St. Moritz includes a trip up to the top of the Corvatsch mountain. Previously, people have made this journey to admire the 360-degree panoramic views while sipping on a hot chocolate or enjoying a restorative plate of food in between skiing, but since October 2020 there has been another reason to visit : to taste the delicious single malt ORMA whisky that has been gently maturing in the cellars of the top station over the last 10 years.

At 3300 metres above sea level, this is the world’s highest distillery, but it’s not just a gimmick. According to one of the founders, Rinaldo Willy, “At this altitude, the distillation process takes place at around 10 degrees lower temperature than at sea level. This means more aromas and greater complexity are preserved”.

Tours of the ORMA Distillery – Orma means “soul” in the local dialect of Romansch – must be booked in advance, either by calling +41 81 868 82 81 or emailing info@orma3303.ch. More information can be found at https://www.orma3303.ch