Four chefs, four recipes, and a culinary celebration in the Swiss Alps.

Words Steph WadeDate 06 August 2025

Ahead of this year’s A Love Beyond festival, held at the majestic Cervo Mountain Resort in the Swiss Alps, we were curious to know: what dishes do chefs love to cook, when given to opportunity outside of their usual work kitchens?

Following the success of last year, and it being our fifth year of collaboration with A Love Beyond, we invited four chefs from our hotels around the world to cook their favorite dishes at the Chefs & Winemakers’ Night. The stars from Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel in Austria, Stamba Hotel in Georgia, Phāea Cretan Malia in Greece, and ION City Hotel in Iceland will come together for one purpose: to unite their guests around some very tasty food. Below, we asked each chef for their favorite dish and why, and all were generous in sharing the details of their recipes, too. Consider this as inspiration for your next dinner party.

Tell us about the dish you’re preparing—what feeling does it bring up for you?

This dish is rooted in my memory of a traditional family recipe called Kvari, passed down for generations. It’s something I grew up with, and something that shaped my understanding of flavor and comfort. For this version I’ve reimagined it, not to change what it was but to build on it. I kept the soul of the dish: the Kvari dough and filling, but added layers of spice, depth, and texture, topping it with a cream sauce made with red and green adjika, white wine, and zingy citrus. It’s both a tribute and a transformation, a way to honor the past while making space for something new.

What is your favorite thing to cook?

A Cretan dakos with juicy tomatoes and virgin olive oil awakens summer within me. It’s not just food; it’s a journey into the past. Memories of summers in the village, back when life was simple and beautiful. I remember friends, family meals, laughter, sharing. 

This dish for me and its taste is pure memory, it is a root, and a way to keep summer forever in your soul.

Tell us about the dish you’re preparing—not just the ingredients, but the memory or feeling it brings up for you.

The dish we’re preparing is true feel-good food: comforting, familiar, and deeply rooted in our alpine heritage, but with a modern twist. For us, it tastes like home. We’re serving an Austrian classic of egg salad. But we’ve reimagined it with a little kick; our house-made nduja adds warmth and depth, creating a nice contrast to the creaminess of the eggs. What makes it truly special is the local touch. Trout caviar sourced just meters away from a nearby fish pond. It brings a subtle freshness and a sense of place; you can literally taste the region in every bite.

Tell us about your dish; what makes it special?

I'm making a hearty vegetarian dish with rutabaga, one of the most commonly used root vegetables in Iceland, after potatoes of course. But at the same time, it’s so underrated by Icelanders! The base is creamy skyr with rutabaga gnocchi covered in brown butter. Topped with crispy croutons and smokey egg yolks that gives the dish the deep umami flavor. Rutabaga was commonly just boiled back in the days and served as is, but if you give it some love it can be amazing! 

Join Thrainn, Jamie, Lefteris, and Levan at A Love Beyond, which will take place from 19-21 September at CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt, Switzerland. The Design Hotels Community can purchase tickets for a special rate from 880 CHF, by emailing reservation@cervo.swiss and quoting Design Hotels.