Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland Celebrates 20 Years of Culinary Excellence

On Saturday, August 29, Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland welcomed alumni, faculty, delegates, partners, and friends to its campus in Le Bouveret for a celebration of two significant milestones: the school’s 20th anniversary and 10 years of The Mosimann Collection.

Held on a beautiful late-summer day overlooking Lake Geneva, the event celebrated the vision that established the Academy, the people who brought it to life, and a shared commitment to culinary excellence that continues to shape its future.

The occasion also marked the renewal of the Academy’s 10-year partnership with The Mosimann Collection, celebrated through a signing ceremony with Leo Wang, CEO of Swiss Education Group and Anton Mosimann OBE DL.

From Three Kitchens and Five Students to the #1 Culinary School in Switzerland

The story of Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland began before its doors officially opened. In 2004, Martin Kisseleff, then President of César Ritz Colleges, recognized an opportunity to create a dedicated culinary program at a time when the role of culinary training within hospitality education was changing.

That idea became a reality in 2006. With Alain Müller as Executive Chef, CAAS welcomed its first class of just five students into three kitchens.

“Three kitchens. Five students.”

As Müller, now Dean of Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, recalled during the anniversary celebration, “the school began with considerable enthusiasm, a clear vision, and perhaps more than a little courage.”

Today, CAAS has 18 professional training kitchens across two campuses and offers vocational and Bachelor’s degree programs in culinary arts as well as pastry, bakery, and chocolate arts, plus a Master’s degree program in culinary business management. More than 5,000 graduates have carried the CAAS name into restaurants, hotels, kitchens, and businesses around the world.

The figures tell an impressive story of growth, but, as Müller emphasized, an academy is not defined by its kitchens, classrooms, or buildings. It is defined by its people.

CAAS has been shaped by students who arrived with passion, some with a clearly defined ambition and others simply knowing they wanted to create something special with food. It has been shaped by chefs and lecturers who shared their discipline, creativity, experience, and knowledge, and by the colleagues, partners, and supporters working behind the scenes to help students learn, grow, and succeed.

From the beginning, the ambition was not simply to teach students how to cook, but to develop professionals capable of leading the culinary world. Alongside technique, CAAS students learn to understand creativity, hospitality, business, leadership, innovation, sustainability, culture, and the responsibility that comes with joining the culinary profession.

Celebrating 10 Years of The Mosimann Collection

The occasion also marked the 10th anniversary of The Mosimann Collection at the campus in Le Bouveret.

Established at Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland in 2016, The Mosimann Collection brings together rare cookbooks, historic menus, antique culinary tools, photographs, and gastronomic ephemera collected by Chef Anton Mosimann OBE DL over a lifetime. Spanning centuries of culinary heritage, it offers a unique record of the evolution of modern gastronomy while also preserving significant moments from the remarkable career of the Academy’s Honorary Dean.

The Collection includes thousands of cookbooks, among them rare and historic editions, as well as recipes, menus, awards, diplomas, personal objects, and memorabilia connected to landmark occasions and the British Royal Family.

More than a museum, The Mosimann Collection is a living educational resource. With a whole floor dedicated to archives and media space for students, it allows students to encounter culinary history firsthand, examine the traditions and innovations that have shaped the profession, and consider how knowledge from the past can inspire the gastronomy of tomorrow.

Its presence on campus reflects the Academy’s conviction that culinary education is larger than learning techniques or mastering recipes. It also involves understanding culture, preserving knowledge, remaining curious, and recognizing one’s place within a profession built across generations.

Renewing a Partnership with The Mosimann Collection

A central moment of the anniversary celebration was the signing ceremony between Anton Mosimann and Leo Wang, renewing a relationship founded on a shared commitment to culinary education, mentorship, and excellence.

Leo Wang offered special thanks to Chef Mosimann for everything he has contributed to the school. He also reflected on the humility and openness Anton continues to demonstrate despite a lifetime of extraordinary achievement.

As a pioneer of Cuisine Naturelle, Anton Mosimann helped reshape modern fine dining through an approach centered on the integrity of ingredients, precision, balance, and lighter preparation. His international career and dedication to sharing his knowledge have made his influence felt far beyond his own kitchens.

Following the celebration, former colleague Ueli Bachofner offered a fitting comparison: “Roger Federer is the worldwide ambassador for tennis; Anton is the worldwide ambassador for culinary excellence.”

Anton Mosimann Receives the Golden Whisk Trophy

In recognition of Anton Mosimann’s enduring legacy and contribution to culinary education and excellence, Leo Wang presented him with the Golden Whisk Trophy.

The award honored not only an exceptional career, but also the generosity with which Anton continues to share his experience. Through his role as Honorary Dean and the presence of his Collection at CAAS, students can connect the history of gastronomy with the values and possibilities of their own future careers.

Anton also acknowledged the trustees and supporters whose commitment helped make The Mosimann Collection possible and continues to preserve it for future generations.

Anniversary Creations by the CAAS Pastry Team

The craftsmanship and collaborative spirit of the CAAS faculty were visible throughout the celebration.

To commemorate the two anniversaries, six pastry instructors created a special anniversary biscuit tin, with each chef contributing an individual signature recipe. The collaboration brought together Chef Yann Muriset, Chef Nicolas Belorgey, Chef Jeremy Plassat, Chef Benjamin Estienne, Chef Hermann Ferga, and Chef Giulliana Corbetto.

The finished collection represented both the distinct creativity of each chef and the shared expertise at the heart of the Academy. It was also a tangible expression of what CAAS has stood for throughout its history: individual talent strengthened through collaboration.

A Sugar Showpiece Celebrating 20 Years of CAAS

Chef Nicolas Belorgey, Pastry and Chocolate Chef at Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, also created a bespoke sugar showpiece in honor of the school’s 20th anniversary.

Inspired by the colors of the Academy’s logo, the piece featured a golden structure symbolizing preciousness and a decorative bow representing celebration. At its center, the anniversary emblem was hand-painted on pastillage using custom-made stencils and airbrushing techniques.

The emblem was then encased in crystal-clear sugar to produce a delicate, glass-like effect. The finished work received special recognition from Anton Mosimann during the celebration.

More than a decorative showpiece, the creation embodied the passion, technical precision, creativity, and artistry that CAAS instructors pass on to their students every day.

Welcoming CAAS Alumni Home

Among the most important guests at the anniversary were the CAAS alumni who returned to Le Bouveret to celebrate.

“To our graduates who have travelled back to be with us—welcome home,” Müller told them.

Over the past 20 years, CAAS students have become chefs, entrepreneurs, hospitality leaders, and business owners. Graduates have opened restaurants, built brands, joined respected international companies, and become ambassadors for Swiss culinary education around the world.

When alumni leave CAAS, they take with them the skills they developed, the standards they learned, the friendships they formed, and the memories they created. At the same time, their achievements leave something behind: inspiration for the students following in their footsteps.

Every graduate who turns an ambition into a career sends a powerful message to today’s students: it is possible.

Built by a Community, Ready for the Future

The 20th anniversary celebration honored the vision that launched CAAS, but it also recognized that its success has never been the achievement of one person.

Faculty and staff built it. Students and alumni built it. Partners, supporters, and friends built it. Every person who believed in the potential of a young culinary professional contributed to its story.

The next 20 years will bring new challenges and opportunities. Kitchens will evolve, the culinary industry will change, and the meaning of culinary leadership will continue to expand. CAAS will evolve alongside it.

Its essential values, however, remain constant: excellence, creativity, discipline, hospitality, respect, and a passion for learning.

From three kitchens and five students in 2006 to 18 kitchens, an international community, and more than 2,100 graduates, the story of Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is ultimately a story about people and about what can be achieved when talent, ambition, knowledge, and opportunity come together.

The celebration looked back on two remarkable decades, but it also raised a glass to the students who will shape the next 20 years.