A pinch of audacity
From apprentice to architect of flavour, Executive Chef Joel Ellenberger has found his culinary voice at IGNIV Bad Ragaz. Guided by precision, passion, and a deep respect for seasonal ingredients, Ellenberger blends his Swiss roots with global inspiration – reimagining the fine-dining experience through a sharing concept that’s both intimate and innovative.
Welcome to the nest: the interior of IGNIV by Andreas Caminada, designed by Patricia Urquiola, exudes warmth and sophisticated comfort.
‘No, I’m not afraid of reviews,’ says Joel Ellenberger, laughing. ‘If my boss and mentor Andreas Caminada is happy with a menu, then it should also suit the testers.’ Ellenberger, who has been head chef at IGNIV Bad Ragaz since 2022, displays remarkable composure at the age of 31 and is clearly comfortable in his role. He has long since developed his very own culinary signature and is the boldest and most audacious chef in the Caminada universe. ‘I like it when a cuisine takes liberties with acidity, sharpness or bitterness, so I try to cook like that myself. Other chefs may strive for perfection, but I’m afraid of it because it harbours the risk of boredom,’ explains the young man from Zurich, who prefers to listen to techno music at work and attaches great importance to a relaxed, friendly working atmosphere.
The emotions that Ellenberger packs into his creations reliably spill over onto the guests, with his well-dosed boldness frequently generating both delight and amazement. His legendary avocado dish, which he served for the first time in 2022, is just one example. A hell of a lot of garlic, a hell of a lot of coriander, a hell of a lot of acidity. But above all: damn tasty. The IGNIV head chef also likes to make a splash when he works with shellfish. ‘I want to show the power of langoustine and lobster and love their flavour when they are roasted,’ he emphasises.
For all the courage he shows in the kitchen, Joel Ellenberger is grateful that he can seek the opinion of three-star chef Caminada whenever he wants. ‘I’d be stupid not to take advantage of such an opportunity,’ he says. ‘Once I’ve worked out a new menu, I ask Andreas to try it from the first to the last dish. The honest and constructive feedback he always gives is very valuable to me. I have also learnt a lot from him beyond the technical side of cooking: especially how to always get the most out of myself and to be willing to try anything.’
Europe’s finest sharing experience: at IGNIV, every dish is served at the centre of the table — inviting guests to share, savour, and connect.
Ellenberger already knew that he wanted to become a chef at the age of 11. At 15, he began his apprenticeship at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Zurich Airport, at 18 he started working in the fine dining restaurant of the Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich, at 21 he moved to the renowned Brenners Park Hotel in Baden-Baden, and at 24 he was head chef of the main restaurant there, which has 16 Gault&Millau points. An exceptional talent, Ellenberger has met various great chefs along the way during his stellar career.
‘Laurent Eperon at the Baur au Lac was my first Michelin-starred chef. I wouldn’t be where I am now without him. He’s crazy but in a very positive way and is great at passing on his love of cooking to others,’ says Ellenberger, before adding with a laugh: ‘And his French accent and his little idiosyncrasies are so easy to imitate.’ Ellenberger’s boss in Baden-Baden was Paul Stradner, who now cooks at two-star level at the Villa Lalique in the Alsace. He also met Nenad Mlinarevic, now the mastermind behind various top Zurich restaurants, in Germany. ‘Nenad had his own restaurant concept at Brenners, but he still looked at my dishes and helped me a lot,’ Ellenberger recalls.
Mlinarevic was also the one who brought the unconventional young chef to Andreas Caminada in 2019. After a winter season at IGNIV St. Moritz with the current Schauenstein head chef Marcel Skibba (‘I learnt a lot from him’), Caminada brought Ellenberger to the castle as sous-chef and was soon sure that he was the right man for Bad Ragaz.
An experience in every detail: Joel Ellenberger transforms the table grill into a stage for innovation, turning each meal into a visual and gastronomic event.
A replacement was needed there for Silvio Germann, who had decided to lease the Mammertsberg high above Lake Constance together with Caminada. These were big shoes for Ellenberger to fill. After all, Germann together with his restaurant manager and sommelier Francesco Benvenuto formed one of the most celebrated teams in Swiss haute cuisine. But by never trying to copy his predecessor, a master of culinary harmony and elegance, the newcomer soon managed to fill Germann’s big shoes. Seventeen Gault&Millau points and two Michelin stars – both achieved at the first attempt – bear witness to this.
The fact that Japanese products regularly play a role in Joel Ellenberger’s dishes may also have something to do with his family history. One of the IGNIV chef’s grandmothers is Japanese. Among other things, she taught him how to make tempura. And what is the secret of the perfect batter? ‘Tapioca starch instead of rice flour, plus egg yolk and mineral water. That way, the batter is guaranteed not to soak up any oil during frying,’ the chef replies, before apologising that he now needs to start serving the evening meal and won't have time for any more questions until after it. So we sit down in the restaurant and enjoy the great culinary journey, which comprises almost two dozen sharing dishes. Sometimes they are simple and fresh like the beef tartare with sea buckthorn and kohlrabi, sometimes sensual and soft like the king crab with white asparagus and orange beurre blanc, and sometimes full of umami like the onsen egg with chanterelles, spinach and double cream.
Words Alex Kühn
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