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Silvio Germann has been head chef of the first “Igniv by Andreas Caminda” since the very start. He’s made a success of it and also shown that being friendly (as well as disciplined) gets you a long way.

For a few weeks now, Silvio Germann has had a black combi-steam cooker in his kitchen, one of the new Excellence Line appliances from V-ZUG. It’s already established itself as a loyal and dependable helper, “and it also just looks lovely,” says Germann. Aesthetics and a passion for detail are fundamental to the top chef’s work; each of his dishes is a beautiful little creation.

Yet for Germann, culinary perfection is primarily a question of precision: “For me food needs to be done to perfection, there’s no compromise,” he says. “We vacuum seal and steam cook chicken breast stuffed with morels at 56 °C for exactly 12 minutes. Once we’ve defined the perfect cooking time and temperature, we stick to it resolutely, and we can rely on the combi-steam cooker to do just that.”

Silvio Germann has been at the culinary helm of “Igniv by Andreas Caminada” at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz since it first opened in 2015. The young chef has brought the restaurant a long way during that time, and that’s down to both the clever culinary concept and his warm personality. The excellence of his work is borne out not just by the restaurant’s outstanding ratings (18 GaulltMillau points and 2 Michelin stars), but also by the manner in which Germann has achieved this success.

Just 30 years of age, the chef is always friendly, has a strong, deep-seated positive and optimistic outlook, and treats his employees, his suppliers and producers, his guests of course (and even the appliances in his kitchen), in a way that makes them all feel valued. This requires attentiveness, patience and a firm grasp on the joy and passion which are what drive people like Silvio Germann.

The food at “Igniv” is designed for sharing and very naturally becomes the focus of the evening, providing a source of both enjoyment and conversation. But for Silvio Germann, the concept of sharing goes even deeper; guests aren’t just sharing a fish soup or beef tartare, they’re also sharing the enjoyment of the moment, and the wine, and afterwards they’ll have shared memories. “For us to deliver all this while keeping things relaxed, timing is paramount,” says Silvio Germann.

Coordinating the food and the service as well as making sure each of the chefs in the kitchen has their contribution under control is a bit like conducting an orchestra, he continues, explaining that the goal is usually for three or four main courses to arrive at the table hot and at the same time. For Silvio Germann, discipline and coordination are not incompatible with passion and enjoyment, they actually all come together to form a whole, and they are all part of the top chef’s very clear idea of excellence.