Andreas Caminada is the Swiss chef-owner of Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, Graubünden, a three-Michelin-star restaurant housed in a 13th-century castle in one of the smallest cities in the world. Born 22 September 1977 in Ems, Graubünden, Caminada opened Schloss Schauenstein in 2003 after training with Horst Petermann at Kunststuben in Küsnacht. He earned his first Michelin star in 2005, his second in 2008, and his third in 2010, becoming the youngest Swiss chef to hold three stars at age 33.
Schloss Schauenstein retains its three Michelin stars in the 2026 Michelin Guide Switzerland. The restaurant also holds the maximum 19 GaultMillau points and sits among the top European fine-dining destinations. Caminada operates the wider Casa Caminada Group, which includes the boutique Hotel Schauenstein, the Casa Caminada guesthouse in Fürstenau, the more casual Oz restaurant, the IGNIV group of sharing-plate restaurants in Bad Ragaz, St. Moritz, Zurich and Bangkok, and the Uccelin Foundation for young chef development.
TL;DR
- Swiss chef born 22 September 1977 in Ems, Graubünden, Switzerland
- Chef-owner of Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau (opened 2003, in a 13th-century castle)
- Three Michelin stars since 2010, retained 2026; 19/20 GaultMillau points
- Operates the Casa Caminada Group including IGNIV sharing-plate restaurants in four cities
- Founded the Uccelin Foundation supporting young chef development through international stages
Andreas Caminada key facts
| Born | 22 September 1977, Ems, Graubünden, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Main restaurant | Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau, Graubünden (opened 2003 in a 13th-century castle) |
| Michelin stars | Three since 2010, retained 2026 (kitchen led by Marcel Skibba) |
| Style | Culinary fairytale; regional Swiss ingredients; alpine modern; narrative tasting menus |
| Training | Horst Petermann at Kunststuben, Küsnacht; various Swiss Michelin kitchens |
| Other ventures | IGNIV (Bad Ragaz, St. Moritz, Zurich, Bangkok); Casa Caminada; Oz; Hotel Schauenstein; Uccelin Foundation |
Early life and training of Andreas Caminada
Caminada was born on 22 September 1977 in Ems, a small town in the Graubünden canton of southeastern Switzerland. Graubünden is the largest and most sparsely populated of the Swiss cantons, with an alpine landscape of valleys, mountain passes and medieval villages that runs through Caminada cooking as a constant reference point. He grew up speaking both German and Romansh, the fourth Swiss national language spoken in parts of the canton.
Caminada trained at hospitality schools in Switzerland and then worked through a series of classical kitchens, most importantly with Horst Petermann at Kunststuben in Küsnacht on Lake Zurich, one of the key Swiss fine-dining restaurants of the 1990s and early 2000s. Kunststuben held two Michelin stars under Petermann and ran a formal French-influenced Swiss kitchen that shaped Caminada technical base.
In 2003, at age 25, Caminada leased Schloss Schauenstein, a 13th-century castle in the small town of Fürstenau in Graubünden. Fürstenau is sometimes called the smallest city in the world, a historic designation rather than a current administrative reality. The castle was in disrepair and the restaurant concept was unusually remote for a new fine-dining opening. Caminada renovated the property, opened the restaurant, and began the slow climb toward Michelin recognition. He also acquired the attached boutique Hotel Schauenstein with a handful of rooms.
Andreas Caminada career timeline
- 22 September 1977: Born in Ems, Graubünden
- Late 1990s: Trains at Swiss hospitality schools
- Early 2000s: Works under Horst Petermann at two-Michelin-star Kunststuben in Küsnacht
- 2003: Leases Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau; opens the restaurant at age 25
- 2005: First Michelin star at Schloss Schauenstein
- 2008: Second Michelin star
- 2010: Third Michelin star at age 33, youngest Swiss chef to hold three stars
- 2010: 19/20 GaultMillau points; Swiss Chef of the Year
- 2015: Opens first IGNIV sharing-plate restaurant at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Bad Ragaz
- 2017: IGNIV by Andreas Caminada opens at the Badrutt Palace Hotel, St. Moritz (earns one Michelin star)
- 2019: Opens IGNIV Zurich at the Marktgasse Hotel (earns one Michelin star)
- 2019: Founds the Uccelin Foundation supporting young chef development through international stages
- 2022: Opens IGNIV Bangkok at the St. Regis Bangkok
- 2023: Opens Oz, a more casual Fürstenau restaurant at Hotel Schauenstein
- 2024: Continues expansion of the Casa Caminada Group
- 2026: Three Michelin stars at Schloss Schauenstein retained; kitchen led day-to-day by executive chef Marcel Skibba
Andreas Caminada signature style: the culinary fairytale
Caminada central argument is that a fine-dining restaurant can tell a coherent story across a tasting menu in the way a fairytale or a poem does, with a long narrative arc and clear connective tissue between courses. Critics have repeatedly called his cooking a culinary fairytale, and the term is accurate: menus move through a sequence of dishes that share motifs, textures or single ingredients across the arc. The castle setting (stone walls, vaulted ceilings, original medieval woodwork) reinforces the narrative register.
The second defining element is the regional Graubünden and alpine Swiss pantry. Caminada sources fish from Graubünden lakes, game from nearby forests, cheese from valley dairies, cured meats from alpine smokehouses, and herbs from the meadows around Fürstenau. The menu reads as an alpine modern restaurant rather than as a Parisian or London imitation, and is built from produce that could not easily be replicated outside the Graubünden ecosystem. This shares DNA with Rasmus Kofoed at Geranium in Copenhagen and other terroir-first European fine-dining chefs.
The third pillar is the group model. Caminada is unusual among three-star chefs in having built a multi-restaurant group that extends across Switzerland and into Thailand without franchising his name. The IGNIV sharing-plate format was designed as a conceptual alternative to the formal three-star tasting menu, built for hotel-restaurant contexts where Caminada could train chefs who then lead the kitchens while Caminada visits regularly. The group model parallels Björn Frantzén multi-restaurant operations from Stockholm through London, Dubai and Las Vegas, though the philosophical register is distinctly Swiss-alpine rather than Swedish-international.
Notable dishes at Schloss Schauenstein
Several Schloss Schauenstein dishes have become reference points in modern European fine dining. Caminada signature starter is a small clear consommé paired with regional alpine herbs, which opens the tasting menu like a prologue. Trout and arctic char from Graubünden lakes appear in variations across the year, cured, smoked and lightly cooked. Saibling (Alpine char) sashimi with buckwheat and butter is a long-standing course. Graubünden game (venison, chamois, hare) in autumn is cooked rare with juniper, fermented fruit and root vegetables. Alpine cheese courses from small Graubünden dairies close the savoury arc. Desserts built on wild berries, mountain honey and hazelnut from the valley function as epilogues, matched to the menu narrative theme.
Andreas Caminada awards and recognition
- 2005: First Michelin star at Schloss Schauenstein
- 2008: Second Michelin star
- 2010: Third Michelin star; youngest Swiss chef to hold three stars at age 33
- 2010: 19/20 GaultMillau points; Swiss Chef of the Year (GaultMillau)
- 2015-2024: IGNIV restaurants collectively earn multiple Michelin stars
- 2019: Founds the Uccelin Foundation for young chef development
- 2026: Three Michelin stars at Schloss Schauenstein retained; 19 GaultMillau points retained
Andreas Caminada impact on Swiss and European gastronomy
Caminada most concrete contribution is the demonstration that a three-Michelin-star restaurant can thrive in a remote alpine village. Schloss Schauenstein is roughly two hours drive from the nearest major Swiss city, and reaching it requires either a long train journey or a deliberate alpine detour. The sustained three-star recognition from 2010 onwards has made Fürstenau a destination for fine-dining travellers globally, and has inspired similar rural three-star projects across Europe. The model aligns with Bruno Verjus argument for small, location-defined fine dining in Paris and with alpine-adjacent chefs across the Alps.
The second contribution is the Uccelin Foundation and the wider chef-development programme. Uccelin sends young Swiss and international chefs on funded stages at elite kitchens across Europe and Asia, paying travel, lodging and a stipend so that chefs without family resources can complete the international training circuit that modern fine dining expects. The programme is one of the most concrete structural responses to the economics of chef training in the 2020s.
Within the current European three-star generation Caminada sits alongside the IGNIV chefs he has trained, the Swiss three-star cohort, and international peers including Björn Frantzén in Stockholm. His work is shaped by and feeds back into the wider alpine fine-dining tradition that runs from Graubünden through Austria and northern Italy, and he has collaborated with chefs across that region for guest services and training exchanges.
Andreas Caminada FAQ
How many Michelin stars does Schloss Schauenstein have?
Three Michelin stars, held continuously since 2010 and retained in the 2026 Michelin Guide Switzerland. The restaurant earned its first star in 2005, second in 2008, and third in 2010. Caminada was the youngest Swiss chef to hold three stars at age 33.
Where is Schloss Schauenstein?
In Fürstenau, a small town in the Graubünden canton of southeastern Switzerland, about two hours from Zurich. The restaurant occupies a 13th-century castle that Caminada leased in 2003 and renovated. The attached boutique Hotel Schauenstein has a handful of rooms for overnight guests.
What is IGNIV?
IGNIV (Romansh for “nest”) is Caminada sharing-plate restaurant format, built for hotel-restaurant contexts. Locations include IGNIV Bad Ragaz (Grand Hotel Kronenhof, 2015), IGNIV St. Moritz (Badrutt Palace Hotel, 2017, one Michelin star), IGNIV Zurich (Marktgasse Hotel, 2019, one Michelin star), and IGNIV Bangkok (St. Regis, 2022).
What is the Uccelin Foundation?
Caminada chef-development foundation, founded in 2019, which funds international stages for young chefs at elite kitchens across Europe and Asia. The foundation pays travel, lodging and a stipend so chefs without family resources can complete the international training circuit expected at the top of modern fine dining.
Does Andreas Caminada still cook at Schauenstein?
Caminada remains chef-owner and the creative force behind Schloss Schauenstein, with day-to-day kitchen operations led by executive chef Marcel Skibba. The model is common at the three-star level with multi-restaurant groups, and the Michelin Guide continues to recognise Schloss Schauenstein with three stars under this structure.
What is next for Andreas Caminada
Following the 2026 three-star retention at Schloss Schauenstein, Caminada continues to develop the Casa Caminada Group and the IGNIV format while expanding the Uccelin Foundation programme. The Graubünden alpine pantry continues to anchor the Schauenstein menu. His public Instagram (@andreascaminada) is the best source for current updates.
