THE WORLD PLAYS HOST TO SWITZERLAND: ACCLAIMED CHEF IRMA DÜTSCH COOKS FOR SWISSÔTELS

The Swissôtels in Moscow, Osaka and Singapore are expecting a very special guest from Switzerland during September and October 2010: Irma Dütsch, the chef honoured with a Michelin star, the Clé d’Or and 18 GaultMillau points, will be treating guests to her special creations for a few days. The deluxe hotels playing host to her have put together a rich programme of events with a Swiss touch to complement the culinary activities of the renowned chef.

Irma Dütsch is regarded as the undisputed “Grande Dame de la Haute Cuisine” and her career is as legendary as her culinary skills: clear, direct, natural and above all original. It was thanks to her drive and determination that she became one of the very first women in Switzerland to train as a chef and make her mark in this traditionally male domain. She ran the famous Restaurant Fletschhorn in the Swiss town of Saas-Fee with her husband Hans-Jörg for more than 30 years, and in 1994 was also the first woman in Switzerland to win the title “Cuisinière de l’année”. Since then, Irma Dütsch, a woman of inexhaustible inventiveness, has been in constant demand as an international guest chef.

The celebrity chef is starting her Swissôtel round trip in Moscow, where from 20–24 September 2010 she will cook for guests at the elegant Restaurant Kai at Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy. Her final evening here has been organised in partnership with the canton of Valais, which is holding a Swiss buffet with musical entertainment. The second leg of her journey takes her to Osaka, Japan, where from 3–6 October she will be serving up à la carte creations as well as her signature dishes at La Tour Restaurant at Swissôtel Nankai, Osaka. She will be running a cookery course for 50 participants demonstrating the talents of female chefs, and there will also be a wine-tasting session with a Japanese sommelière specialising in Swiss wines. Switzerland Tourism will be staging a roadshow at Swissôtel during this time: the new Swiss ambassador will be attending, and Japanese yodellers will round off the packed programme of Swiss-related events.

Irma Dütsch concludes her Swissôtel tour at Swissôtel The Stamford, Singapore, where, from 10–16 October, she will be serving up gastronomic delights as part of the “Chefs with Altitude” event. The Equinox Restaurant on the 70th floor of the hotel is Singapore’s most elevated culinary landmark in every sense, and, with its spectacular views over the city, provides the ideal setting for Irma Dütsch’s exalted culinary skills. The hotel’s helicopter platform will provide the lofty venue for the party to mark the start of the event, where Switzerland’s Eliana Burki, the well-known Alpine horn player, will provide musical entertainment.

The tour of the three deluxe hotels by guest chef Irma Dütsch forms part of the anniversary celebrations of Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, which this year marks its 30th birthday.