GREEN PEARLS® – curated for sustainable impact
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According to traditional fine dining logic, the following has long been true: restaurant cuisine = a stage for fame; hotel cuisine = service. Today, however, this image has changed. Boutique hotels, resorts, and sustainable hideaways, in particular, offer chefs creative freedom, access to high-quality, fresh, regional ingredients, and an atmosphere that blends pleasure with attitude.
At our Green Pearls® accommodations, several chefs have a significant impact on their establishments through their culinary expertise. In fact, some guests travel specifically to experience their cuisine.
A perfect example of this new breed of sustainable chefs is Aggeliki Charami. She is considered one of the most innovative vegan chefs in the Alps. In just two years in South Tyrol, the Greek-born chef has built a remarkable career and won a number of awards (including from Gault&Millau).
Ageliki Charami arrived in South Tyrol as an outsider, but her vision for vegan fine dining was immediately recognised. And not only that. The hosts at the Paradiso Pure.Living Vegan Hotel gave her a lot of creative freedom. Together, they decided to take the long-awaited next step with Paradiso Pure.Living, evolving from a vegetarian-vegan concept to a fully vegan hotel. They have also created the OMNIA plant-based restaurant, where guests can experience Charami’s plant-based cuisine and special approach at a fine dining level, even independently of a hotel stay.
What sets her cuisine apart is her storytelling, which combines the dark, mystical mountain world with the Mediterranean joie de vivre of her Greek heritage. As a chef, she loves to experiment with fermentation, textures, and lesser-known regional produce. For her, sustainability and respect for ingredients form the basis of her work.
She also oversees the culinary concept at LA VIMEA, the adults-only vegan hotel in Naturns, working with her dedicated team, where the cuisine reflects a garden-inspired approach, complementing the more alpine and bold character of the dishes at Paradiso on the Alpe di Siusi.
Find out more about Aggeliki Charami in this interview.
Berni Aichner is another prime example of the impact a chef can have when a hotel grants him true freedom. As the culinary director of PRENN° at the young OLM Nature Escape, Aichner has had a decisive influence on the aparthotel’s culinary identity. He played a key role in Gault&Millau naming OLM Nature Escape the 2026 South Tyrolean Hotel of the Year.
Berni Aichner gained experience at the highest level, including working as a sous chef for Norbert Niederkofler, one of Italy’s most renowned three-star chefs. Today, he oversees the overall culinary concept, implementing his vision of contemporary slow food cuisine in South Tyrol’s Ahrntal Valley: regionally rooted, precisely crafted, and full of flavor.
The PRENN° is exclusively for hotel guests. However, Berni Aichner opens his kitchen to outside guests for select events. Whether it’s a four-handed dinner with Michelin-starred chef Theodor Falser or special cooking events with Reinhold Messner, Aichner’s cuisine is made accessible to a wider audience.
The following menu is a good example of what that tastes like: red tuna tartare with wild garlic and chanterelles; char with buckwheat miso, kohlrabi, and chive oil; an intense beetroot risotto; braised veal cheeks with potato and wasabi cream, watercress, burrata, and fried lemon powder; and, for dessert, marinated strawberries with balsamic ice cream, yogurt foam, and oatmeal crumble.
Erik Wendt, the chef at Hotel Das Rübezahl, defines his cuisine succinctly as modern with great attention to detail. How does he combine cosmopolitanism and a love of home in a new culinary way? His answer: a great team, the finest ingredients, and a great deal of love for his job. He learned his trade at the Mercure Hotel in Leipzig and was discovered and promoted by Michael Lacher of the Alte Sonne in Ludwigsburg. After working at some of Germany’s best restaurants, he and his family moved to Schwangau in 2011 and joined the Hotel Das Rübezahl.
He recorded the knowledge and experience he gained over the years in his “white book,” which he gives to each of his trainees. The book provides the trainees with a basis for developing new recipes by listing all the basic recipes inside. But when Erik cooks, he doesn’t just prepare food; he creates happiness in a spoonful. It’s evident in every bite. Using the principle of the aroma circle, Erik creates dishes that appeal to all the senses with different flavors and textures.
One of his most famous creations is his vegetarian version of “Krautkrapfen,” an Allgäu specialty consisting of dough rolls with sauerkraut, onions, and apples. Read more about this dish and other must-try Allgäu cuisine in Erik Wendt’s blog post.
© Klosterhof Alpine Hideaway & SpaWhen you place yourself in the culinary hands of Sascha Förster and his team, you will experience gourmet moments at their finest. With enthusiasm and passion, he creates extraordinary menus for the guests of his regular fine dining experience, “Secret Forest”, among other things. You book a place at a secret location, a table with 12 seats, and a special fine dining menu from the chef. The ingredients for it come directly from the region and are seasonal.
Sascha Förster has designed the daily evening menu for guests at the Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa as a “GenussArt Menu.” You can choose between “Chef’s Choice” (featuring whatever is currently available from the fields and forests), “Bergwiese” (traditional Alpine cuisine and modern variations thereof), and “Kraut & Rüben” (vegetarian and/or vegan creations). However, his latest passion is “Special Cuts” from dry aged beef. The in-house dry-ager (a special refrigerator for dry-aging beef) gives the meat “an intense aroma, incomparable tenderness, and depth of flavor.”
For Giuseppe Schimmenti, Sicilian cuisine is more than just a culinary tradition; it’s a way of life. As the head chef at the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA, he takes his guests on a culinary journey through the flavors, stories, and memories of his home island. Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, influences his cuisine with its abundance of fish, seafood, Mediterranean herbs, olive oil, and citrus fruits, all of which are sourced locally from the immediate vicinity of the resort.
Food played an important role in Giuseppe’s childhood. His grandfather was a fisherman who brought home fresh fish daily, and his grandmother lovingly prepared pasta dishes, often incorporating squid ink. These memories of flavors, aromas, and family meals continue to influence his cuisine to this day. “When you stroll through the streets of Palermo, you quickly realize how central food is,” he says.
At the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA, he translates this food culture into contemporary, sustainable hotel cuisine. Giuseppe places particular importance on high-quality ingredients and traditional production methods. For his homemade pasta, for example, he uses a Sicilian variety of ancient wheat native to the region that is ground in a traditional mill. Dishes such as maltagliati and tortellini stuffed with squid are among his and his guests’ favorites.
Giuseppe Schimmenti took us on a virtual culinary journey through Sicily for our blog, introducing us to the island’s must-try dishes.
The chef of Naturhotel Outside, Radenko Jovicic, has a moving story. He came to Matrei, Austria during the Yugoslavian War. The talented, self-taught chef has worked in the Naturhotel Outside’s family businesses for almost 25 years. In that time, he has literally worked his way up from janitor to head chef. Together with his team, he has set the goal of offering a “sustainable surprise of the senses” through his cuisine.
Guests can enjoy a freshly prepared snack every afternoon and a six-course gourmet menu every evening. Vegan and vegetarian options are always available. The menu also features homemade products, such as brown bread made from East Tyrolean original wheat, homemade jams, and syrups. Food from the nature hotel’s garden or the region finds its way into the kitchen. Radenko’s simple formula is, “The shorter the distance, the fresher the food. The closer the farm, the better the taste.”
Fernando Hernández Izquierdo has established a unique culinary experience at the OCÉANO Health Spa Hotel, blending traditional Canarian cuisine with the resort’s holistic approach to health.
His dishes feature classics like mojo, a spicy cold sauce, and fresh Atlantic fish. Rather than using complex techniques, he focuses on high-quality basic ingredients, gentle preparation, and clear flavors. Many of his dishes feature cumin, garlic, paprika, and fresh coriander, complemented by an abundance of vegetables, legumes, and regional crops. His goal? Healthy food that nourishes without weighing you down.
“Our goal is for guests to feel energized after eating, not tired or overwhelmed,” says Fernando Hernández Izquierdo. In the linked article, he reveals which dishes accomplish this and shares his recommendations for the must-try foods in Tenerife.
Hari Govindaraj has led the kitchen team at Hotel Gili Lankanfushi with great talent and skill for over 13 years. Born in southern India, Govindaraj discovered his passion for cooking at a young age. He has a unique culinary style and a special interest in vegan cuisine.
Govindaraj gained valuable inspiration from renowned Michelin-starred chefs, such as Raymond Blanc of Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons (two Michelin stars) and Pierre Gagnaire, one of the most influential three-star chefs in international haute cuisine. These experiences continue to influence his finely balanced, aromatic cuisine.
Some of the herbs, vegetables, and fruits used by Hari and his team come from the lush garden, which he is also responsible for. Here, he finds the ingredients for his special creations, such as aloe vera ceviche, avocado and garden leaf gazpacho, and citrus fruit salad.
If you’re interested in delving deeper into Hari Govindaraj’s philosophy, you can find a detailed portrait of him at Lightfoot Travel. He also shares some of his vegan recipes there.
The chefs featured here redefine hotel cuisine as a creative force and an expression of a hotel’s philosophy. They are also a reason for guests to visit. Their menus are as unique as their life stories, yet they share a common philosophy: offering high-quality cuisine made with regional and seasonal ingredients, a preference for organic products, and a commitment to respecting nature and the origin of ingredients.
Many Green Pearls® hotels provide their chefs with the necessary space to achieve this goal, offering them their own gardens, short supply chains, an open ear, and a clear commitment to sustainability.
We are excited to see where these chefs’ culinary paths will lead. We are convinced that their influence on sustainable hospitality will continue to grow. As so often happens, we see our partners as pioneers in this area.
This is an update from November 29, 2022.
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The restaurant’s cuisine blends fresh ingredients with an approach that combines culinary pleasure and well-being. The avocado and papaya salad with passion fruit vinaigrette brings tropical flavours to the table and, according to the hotel, provides a variety of valuable nutrients.
Avocados, papayas, and passion fruits are grown locally in Tenerife, meaning they can be transported over short distances. As is well known, the problem with avocados is their high water consumption. Combined with long transport distances, this results in a poor environmental footprint for these superfruits.
Through Gebana, you can order avocados from Crete, where farmers have partnered with the University of Crete to implement drip irrigation systems and collect rainwater. Harvesting takes place in November. Another option is CrowdContainer in Switzerland, where you can order organic avocados from southern Spain in May.
Papayas are often transported by air to arrive at the optimal stage of ripeness (hence their poor environmental footprint). According to the IFEU Institute, passion fruits fare slightly better because they are sometimes transported by ship. Incidentally, fresh passion fruit usually has a better environmental footprint than passion fruit juice.
Here, too, we recommend Gebana and Crowdfarming. There, you can buy exotic fruits directly from the farms you support. Since you’re buying in bulk, you can share with friends and family—or make a party-sized batch of avocado-papaya salad. 🙂
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