For four years now, the friendly Lucerne native has been creating extraordinary works of culinary art, dazzling his guests at his restaurant in the Sarganserland region. Although Bad Ragaz has become his second home, Silvio Germann considers it essential to return to his roots from time to time. He tries to return to Lucerne once a month to visit his friends and family. Since it’s important to him, he always finds the time.
Germann goes to visit some of his close friends in their homes. These are friends he has known since primary school, friends he played football with and who grew up together. One of the friends is now a pilot, another has founded a start-up, and Germann himself is becoming one of the most sought-after top chefs in the business. Their daily lives are hectic and they all have to travel a lot – yet they always find their way back to Lucerne to meet up, reminisce about old times and catch up on the latest news. Once a year, Germann goes all out to treat his friends, cooking up a veritable feast.
The Lucerne-born chef really enjoys these special moments spent together, since they help him to recharge his batteries. And the roots that he has planted in eastern Switzerland are equally important to him. “In this region, we all know each other, support one another and help each other out”, says Germann, describing the friendly community. He first got to know Oliver Friedrich, owner of the Alter Torkel restaurant and holder of the title “Sommelier of the Year” for 2017, while Germann was working under Andreas Caminada at Schloss Schauenstein. They worked together for a long time, then became friends and now support each other in their projects. Francesco Benvenuto, manager of the restaurant IGNIV, values Germann not just as an excellent sommelier, but also as a good friend.