Full speed ahead for fine taste
He didn’t really want to return to the lowlands after his stint at the Arosa Kulm. But the offer from the Hotel Belvoir was too tempting to turn down. And so the wanderer, who is also very active in his private life, moved to Rüschlikon. Where he has “complete freedom” in designing the kitchen and menu. Because if there’s one thing this passionate touring motorcyclist doesn’t like, it’s the easy ride.
1,000 horsepower for the finer things in life, which inevitably include good food. That could be a headline describing Pascal Kleber. He puts his foot down in his dream job, going to great lengths to source the best regional produce, the right suppliers, and his vision of contemporary, sophisticated cuisine. “I never wanted to learn anything else. Even as a child, I knew that I would one day work in the hospitality industry.” Kleber took his first steps in a restaurant two minutes’ walk from his parents’ house in Zollikerberg. A trial apprenticeship at the age of 12 confirmed his plans, and at 16 he began his culinary apprenticeship at the 5-star Hotel Schweizerhof at Zurich train station. At the same time, another passion took off: saving money. Saving for a Harley Davidson, to be precise. He also discovered this hobby at the age of twelve – through a colleague of his father’s from the volunteer fire department.
“Cooking is the best job in the world. It opens doors to the world. And it is changing rapidly, with new techniques being added almost every day.”
Pascal Kleber, Culinary Director Hotel Belvoir Rüschlikon
A lot of love and effort for the first Harley
From his first year as a commis chef – back then at the Dolder – Pascal Kleber started saving up. Bit by bit. Then he finally got his hands on it: the Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail, in a beautiful eggshell color and metallic blue. He invested another eight years – a lot of manual labor and passion – in renovating it until it looked like it does today, 30 years later. In summer, it usually stands in front of the kitchen entrance. Then it’s clear: Pascal Kleber is in his element and at work. “Cooking is the best job in the world. It opens doors to the world. And it is changing rapidly, with new techniques being added almost every day.” Who would have thought that one day you would no longer fry a steak, but cook it in water at 54 degrees before searing it very briefly? “Sous-vide” is the current magic word. Like “fair trade” and “food waste,” these are trending topics and both things that Pascal Kleber has been concerned with for a long time. Every two months, Kleber changes half of his menu—to “guarantee that it is seasonal.” Whenever possible, he looks for specialties from the area, from farmers he knows: organic young pork from Ormalingen, for example. Or he builds his own bee hotel on the roof of the Hotel Belvoir. This year, he is offering eleven kilos of his own honey at the breakfast buffet. The same goes for the eggs, which come from a farmer in Rüschlikon. And he can quickly pick up two or three cartons of fresh eggs there when they run out. “On my Harley, of course. Allow me this little bit of fun.»
Well-traveled – in search of ideas
Traveling
seems to be in Pascal Kleber’s blood. He brings home new inspiration from everywhere
he goes—when, as in recent years, he cruised from Apulia to Scotland to Finland
with his wife from Portugal. It’s no surprise that Porto, where she comes from, is also worth a visit. Variations on Portuguese cuisine It goes without saying that Porto, where she
comes from, is also worth a regular visit. Variations on Portuguese cuisine can be discovered time and again in Rüschlikon, such as the recently reinterpreted “Feijoada.” Braised beef brisket, beef cheeks (where can you still get that today!?), beef rump cap, fried pig’s ears,
smoked pointed cabbage, a specially created bean paste, white beans and much more. “Nose-to-tail” is the technical term for this. Everything is used, says Pascal Kleber. “Anyone can roast a fillet, that’s boring.” If there’s one thing he hates, it’s routine. “You have to work hard to maintain the standard. I always want to learn more – and that’s why I want to achieve my 14 or maybe even 16 Gault Millau points.” He has a huge collection of cookbooks is huge, with 80 or more at home. Not to mention the cooking magazines he devours. “It’s just a quirk. But everyone’s a little crazy somewhere, aren’t they?” And finally, he reveals his true quirk: his back is covered with a tattoo. The subject? A Harley engine, what else!