A study in precision - Colonnade – Mandarin ­Oriental Palace, Lucerne

Chef Peled devotes great attention even to the smallest details of a dish.

The undisputed star of its extraordinary culinary trio is the two-Michelin-starred Colonnade. Here, contemporary French haute cuisine is celebrated with finesse, while remaining firmly rooted in the region’s rich larder. The elegant dining room, defined by soaring ceilings, striking marble columns, Art Nouveau chandeliers, and a floor-to-ceiling glass wine cabinet as the perfect modern showpiece, sets the stage for relaxed fine dining atmosphere at the highest level.

However, one cannot forget Minamo, an intimate Japanese Omakase restaurant only catering to eight guests at a time. This too has been awarded a Michelin star. Meanwhile, the all-day dining venue Mozern serves refined bistro fare alongside a selection of timeless classics.

During the summer months, Quai 10 stylishly rounds off the Mandarin’s culinary offering with refined Mediterranean fare while being served in an elegant al fresco setting on the lake promenade overlooking Lake Lucerne.

Gilad Peled

The break has clearly done Gilad Peled a world of good. When we visit the Colonnade just a few days after its reopening – following a two-month seasonal hiatus – the chef appears completely restored and radiates creative energy.

Those meeting Peled for the first time might be surprised. There is no theatrical kitchen hero here, no tattooed showman parading plates like manifestos. Instead, Peled is composed, almost introspective. He speaks softly, listens carefully. And perhaps it is precisely this restraint that lends his cuisine its remarkable precision.

Gilad Peled is a dedicated team player. Several members of his kitchen team have been working with him for several years

Born in Israel and shaped by the culinary polyphony of the Eastern Mediterranean, Peled grew up with flavours others spend years trying to decode. Sumac and za’atar, preserved lemons, tahini, pomegranate, and fish pulled fresh from the Mediterranean Sea. Yet his professional journey led him to Europe early on in his career, bringing him into kitchens where classical technique, reverence for produce, and the art of the sauce set the rhythm.

This dual heritage remains his signature. The warmth and immediacy of the Levant meet French exactitude and contemporary aesthetics. Peled does not ‘do’ fusion. He translates. He reframes seemingly classical dishes with subtle inflections that feel both instinctive and entirely modern.

Among his most formative mentors were three-star legends Gordon Ramsay, for whose Bordeaux outlet Le Pressoir d’Argent Peled won two Michelin stars, and Clare Smyth. Chefs whose uncompromising standards left a lasting imprint.

“Nothing is accidental, nothing merely decorative.”