Franck Giovannini, chef at the legendary l’Hôtel de Ville restaurant in Crissier, cooks with V-ZUG and continues to work in his role as brand ambassador for the Swiss kitchen appliance manufacturer.
At the age of 43, Franck Giovannini has almost reached the pinnacle of his career. The friendly head chef from Jura leads a team of 25 chefs who work in Switzerland’s arguably most legendary restaurant in Crissier, close to Lausanne. 3 Michelin stars, 19 Gault Millau points and numerous other top ratings in restaurant listings and guides speak volumes about the quality of the establishment. Giovannini was also recently named «Chef of the Year 2018» by Gault Millau.
V-ZUG is proud that Franck Giovannini has been an ambassador for the brand since 2016 and that the contract with him could be extended. The chef creates special recipes for V-ZUG which are tailored to in-house appliances. Further activities such as cooking courses in Crissier are also in the pipeline. «In our kitchen, the demands made on the result of our work are just as high as they are for the developers and designers in Zug,» explains Franck Giovannini – «Exquisite craftwork, the best quality and the highest expectations in terms of aesthetics.»
Together with Brigitte Violier, Franck Giovannini is continuing the tradition at the Hotel de Ville restaurant in Crissier, which for decades has been defined by excellent French-style cuisine. There is no other restaurant anywhere else in the world which can boast having four different unrelated chefs who have achieved the highest accolade of three Michelin stars one after the other. It was awarded with the top score for the first time in 1992 and since then has consistently achieved the three stars: this is unheard of in Switzerland and is also a rare phenomenon when viewed from an international perspective. Or as the Swiss magazine, the Schweizer Illustrierte, described it: «Crissier, c’est magique.» Various V-ZUG appliances are used in the kitchen, such as the combi-steam cooker.
Franck Giovannini incorporates this remarkable tradition into his dishes while at the same time introducing new, strong and unique accents. Under his leadership, the chefs use more vegetables and less butter – «This is a modern approach and I would like our menus and recipes to be light and palatable,» explains Giovannini. «I think this also corresponds to the needs of those who read lifestyle.vzug.ch.» Fruit and vegetables are sourced locally as much as possible. For example, a neighbouring farmer plants cardoons, a type of vegetable typical to French-speaking Switzerland and l’Hôtel de Ville, especially for the restaurant. Alongside this, it goes without saying that premium-quality seafood and French poultry are also on the menu and it is the perfect preparation technique that plays a crucial role in achieving this quality.
V-ZUG is looking forward to working with l’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier along with Franck Giovannini and to creating moments of ultimate enjoyment «fabriqué en Suisse»!