Rolf Fliegauf, Mattias Roock and Marco Campanella, three of best chefs of Swiss gastronomy cooking in Ascona, enrich Ticino with four Michelin stars, offering unique culinary experiences.
Gastronomy in Ticino is as multifaceted as the landscape; while the traditional dishes are served in the typical grottos, chefs are exploring new directions in modern restaurants. In 2019 the experts of the famed Michelin Guide gave awards to three Ascona restaurants for their innovative cooking.
At “Ecco” in the Hotel Giardino Ascona, with its open kitchen, Rolf Fliegauf prepares refined masterpieces in full view of the guests. “Our dishes are designed to create emotions, through their variety of temperatures, textures and flavours”, says the 39 year old Chef, one of the best of his generation, having been awarded two Michelin stars. His cuisine has its roots in France with Japanese influences, whilst maintaining its relation to Ticino, as for instance <<Cannellone filled with polenta and shitake mushrooms>>.
At Castello del Sole’s restaurant “Locanda Barbarossa”, Mattias Roock and his team prepare dishes on the “farm to table” principle. When fresh ingredients are needed, they are selected from the hotels own kitchen gardens which together with the lands of agribusiness “Terreni alla Maggia” extend to 150 hectares. Here, where the Maggia flows into Lago Maggiore herbs, vegetables, fruits, grains and even- uniquely in Switzerland – rice, are lovingly grown. “Nature greatly influences our menu”, five courses of which are created mainly using products cultivated in-house, its elements surprising, in Roock’s signature style.
Produce also takes centre place at Marco Campanella’s gourmet “La Brezza” of the hotel Eden Roc. For this talented young 28 year-old, it is important that “a carrot truly has the flavours of a carrot” His cooking combines the ideas and techniques discovered through his experiences in the region. Creating dishes such as “caviar of aubergine” or “lobster with Ticinese squash and sea buckthorn” requires a whole day, and a lot of passion, given that the starred chef personally gathers the fresh herbs in the surrounding forests.
Rolf Fliegauf
Executive Chef at Restaurant Ecco, Hotel Giardino Ascona
Rolf Fliegauf’s future career became clear at an early age. As a child, he enjoyed nothing more than spending his time in the kitchen of his parents’ restaurant. Today, he is one of Switzerland’s most decorated chefs, having been awarded 2 Michelin stars and 18 GaultMillau points for his Ecco restaurants. Fliegauf loves to experiment. Yet despite being an exponent of haute cuisine, he always remains in touch with the principles of popular cuisine.
Mattias Roock
Executive Chef at Castello del Sole, Ascona
For the 39 year-old Chef Mattias Roock from northern Germany, gastronomy is a family story: his grandfather and father were already chefs.
Mattias Roock won the Gold medal in professional world skills championship. After an excellent training at the “Culinary Institute of America” he worked in several luxury hotels around the world. At the age of just 28 he became Executive Chef. Since 2017 Mattias Roock is the Executive Chef at the Castello del Sole and has been awarded 18 points GaultMillau and 1 Michelin Star.
Marco Campanella
Head Chef at Restaurant La Brezza, Hotel Eden Roc, Ascona
Since 2017, the modern creations of 28-year-old Marco Campanella have been shaping the menu of the gourmet restaurant La Brezza.
Campanella was crowned “Discovery of the Year in Ticino” by GaultMillau in 2019. Only a few months later he was awarded with a Michelin Star.
Before coming to Ascona, he has worked with some of the most famous chefs of Switzerland, such as Rolf Fliegauf and Andreas Caminada.