Patrick Mahler Hosts 15 Chefs in Vitznau This Weekend

Patrick Mahler turns his two-Michelin-star kitchen into a stage for fifteen chefs from four countries this weekend, as Park Hotel Vitznau in Switzerland runs its eleventh Culinary Weekend.

Mahler runs focus ATELIER, the hotel's two-star restaurant on Lake Lucerne. He built the concept around Japanese technique and Nordic ingredients. Twice a year he opens the kitchen to outside chefs for a weekend built on collaboration rather than competition.

The weekend opens on Sunday, September 27, with a six-hands dinner. Mahler cooks alongside Jacob Jan Boerma, chef of the three-Michelin-starred The White Room in Amsterdam, and Philipp Keliny, head of the hotel's Grill Restaurant & Seeterrasse. The three chefs plan a shared six-course menu, preceded by a wine cellar tour and a champagne reception.

Fifteen chefs, four countries, two nights: Vitznau turns its kitchen into a stage.

Patrick Mahler's Two-Day Takeover

Monday, September 28, brings Kitchen Party No. 11, the event's main draw. Fifteen chefs from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany cook at live stations across the hotel kitchen between 6:30pm and 10:30pm. Guests move freely between stations, watch the plating and talk to the cooks directly.

The hotel describes the format on its own site: "Our kitchen transforms into the stage for an evening of culinary delights, inspiration and meaningful encounters." Tickets cost CHF 295 for the six-hands dinner and CHF 375 for the Kitchen Party.

The lineup carries weight beyond Mahler and Boerma. Silvio Nickol, who cooks in Vienna, and Jeroen Achtien, of Inter Scaldes in the Netherlands, both hold two Michelin stars, the same rank Mero in Antwerp just reached. Marcel Koolen, of Restaurant 7132 Silver in Vals, adds a third. Silvia Manser of Restaurant Truube and Luca Haase of Sonnenberg le soir each carry one star.

Vitznau's Eleventh Kitchen Party

Christian Nickel, the hotel's executive chef, has run the Kitchen Party series since it started. Pastry chefs Stefan Gerber, of Badrutt's Palace in St. Moritz, and Jonathan Pichler, of Mamie Café & Patisserie in Lucerne, join this edition alongside chefs from Hamburg and Zurich. The format has grown from a local dinner into a fixture on the Swiss dining calendar each autumn.

Both dates sold out ahead of the weekend. Park Hotel Vitznau takes bookings for future editions only by phone, and gives no date yet for a twelfth Kitchen Party.