The Italian chef brings his Mediterranean passion, depth of commitment and exceptional consistency to the table.

Paolo Casagrande says that loving his work is the best recipe and learning with the best keeps his love for creating charismatic cuisine burning. He draws his inspiration from many different sources, including the products he is working with, the climate, the season, travel, and the people around him.

His aim, he says, is to create emotions by using contrasts in products.

February: Gilad Peled-'LE PRESSOIR D'ARGENT GORDON RAMSAY', F- Bordeaux

Success was a long time coming for 31-year-old Gilad Peled, but now that it’s here he’s wasted no time. With his dogged determination to follow his passion for food and his dedication to being the best in class, he now feels supremely comfortable after taking up the reins at Le Pressoir d’Argent Gordon Ramsay where his excitement is palpable and the Franco-British cuisine with Gilad’s Israeli influence features the best fresh and seasonal produce available.

March: Nick Bril-'THE JANE' , BEL- Antwerpen

Nick Bril began working for three Michelin-starred chef Sergio Herman’s Oud Sluis restaurant and became "infected by the rock & roll virus“. This essentially means trying to be incredibly close to perfection and at the same time creating an easy-going, chilled ambience far removed from the stiff atmosphere that pervades many restaurants at this level. “The mixture of fine dining, artists and designers makes my job as an entrepreneur one of the most thrilling and challenging jobs imaginable.“

April:Mingoo Kang-'MINGLES', Seoul, Südkorea

Though still in his early 30s, chef Mingoo Kang has already built up an impressive résumé beyond Korea. Kang’s cuisine reflects his sense of duty for bringing his international experience to the table.

“It’s hard to make Korean food exciting for Korean customers but they can discover new aspects of it through my approach to it. For non-Koreans I want to provide something special that would otherwise only be available in Korea.

May:Johannes King-'SÖL´RING HOF', D- Sylt

Originally, Johannes King wanted to become a glassblower. Luckily that didn’t work out for him. Instead he started training as a chef and discovered his passion for a fine palate and pure flavours. Sustainability is the essence that teaches us to enjoy again. To consciously savour the best seasonal products which are only available for a short time. “As a consumer, you just have to get used to the fact that not everything is available all the time. So sustainability means doing without!”

June: Jari Vesivalo-'OLO', FIN-Helsinki 

Jari Vesivalo is the man behind the beautifully executed food at Olo in Helsinki. Famed for his talent for balance and a light touch, Vesivalo describes Olo’s gastronomy as simplistic and natural. In his words, “The less you’ve got on your plate, the more carefully it has to be prepared.” He has a strong passion for Finnish nature and its unique beauty which is artfully reflected in every dish on the restaurant’s menu. Every dish is part of a huge puzzle where all the pieces have to fall perfectly into place.

July: Sven Wassmer-'Silver Restaurant', CH-Vals

The young man from the Frick Valley has found his culinary home in Vals and he has revolutionised Alpine cuisine in the quaint village in the Grison Alps in his own way. Sven Wassmer finds his own path to connecting regionality with cosmopolitanism; it’s impossible not to see influences from all the continents. So based on the maxim “think global, act local”, he relies whenever possible on small, local producers and adapts his menus to each season.

August: Ikarus Team-'Restaurant Ikarus', A-Salzburg

From culinary diversity to inspirational indulgence. Every month sees another top chef creating exquisite dishes at the Restaurant Ikarus. In the festival month of August, the kitchen team, headed by Executive Chef Martin Klein, will showcase an outstanding combination encompassing its extensive experience, variety of styles and intense pleasure in creating new compositions. The result is a fantastic menu with unparalleled culinary sophistication.

Video ▶️

September: Mats Vollmer-'VOLLMERS', SWE-Malmö

Mats Vollmer is descended from five generations of restaurateurs. The kitchen of his grandmother’s hostelry in Östarp was his culinary kindergarten where, from an early age and with her enthusiastic encouragement, he not only tasted but tried his hands at cooking the traditional delicacies of the Skåne region. He hones his methods every day to achieve this, totally without compromise and with an unswerving focus on serving food that is closest to his own heart.

October: David Kinch-'Manresa', USA-Los Gatos

David Kinch has been internationally recognised as an innovator of a new contemporary Californian cuisine and his food draws on his deep understanding of classical cooking combined with his travels in Asia and an openness to try anything. He is shy of categorising his food but concedes that “the complex simplicity, platings, using nearly no fat but still leaving people sated” do betray some Japanese influence. He truly believes that the single most important thing on a plate of food is balance.

November: Best of Niederlande

Restaurant Ikarus welcomes a quartet of distinguished guest chefs from the Netherlands in November 2018 and with 8 Michelin stars between them they bring a wealth of experience and flair to the table. Each has carved out his own niche in Dutch cuisine and continues to evolve his own inimitable style with the best ingredients the Netherlands has to offer. Find out for yourself what “Going Dutch” really means!

Jannis Brevet

Jacob Jan Boerma

Richard van Oostenbrugge

Michael van der Kroft

December: Julian Royer-'ODETTE',SGP-Singapur

According to Julien Royer, he owes everything that he is to his family, especially his grandmother, Odette. It was she who showed him that the most remarkable dishes could come from the purest ingredients and that adding that “little something” would create dishes to excite the palate and fill the heart. Her influence continues to inspire the “Odette experience” at the restaurant which Royer named in tribute to her. This is where he demonstrates a lifelong respect for seasonality, terroir and artisanal produce which is embodied in his Modern French or “essential” cuisine.

Weitere Informationen unter: www.hangar-7.com