//TASTEIn Fürstenau, which calls itself the world’s smallest town, Andreas Caminada cooks one of Europe’s most celebrated cuisines at Schloss Schauenstein. Three Michelin stars, a kitchen garden of its own, a meal that moves through three rooms – and in the end, what lingers isn’t the plate, but the feeling of having been a guest.
You drive through Domleschg, past orchards and slopes so steep you wonder how the grass clings on, and then, almost casually, there it lies-a village that calls itself a town and gets away with it. Fürstenau, home to around 350 souls, a city since 1354, granted by an emperor. It takes less than two minutes to cross. At its upper end stands a castle, and inside that castle, a man cooks one of Europe’s highest-rated cuisines. You have to read that twice to believe it.
The man is Andreas Caminada, and the improbable part of this story isn’t that the restaurant exists-it’s where. Not in Zurich, not in Geneva, not lakeside with a view for the magazines. But here, at the foot of Piz Beverin, in a valley where the forests are dark and the roads short. Caminada didn’t go out into the world. He made the world come to him.
This isn’t an advertisement. It’s the genuine fascination with a place that embodies a simple, almost defiant idea: that fine dining doesn’t belong in the metropolis, but where the best ingredients grow. And in Graubünden, as it turns out, that’s quite a lot.
Born in 1977, Caminada grew up in the mountain village of Sagogn-a place where a child doesn’t dream of truffles or Michelin stars. His path took him through solid apprenticeships and serious stages, including stints in Switzerland and the Black Forest, before he took the leap that would define him: at 26, he took over the historic Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau. An old building, a young chef, a valley no one looks for on the map, and no safety net.
What followed reads like a perfectly drawn line – and that’s what makes it so impressive. The first Michelin star arrived in 2004, just a year after taking over. The second followed in 2007. And in 2010, at 33, came the third: the accolade some chase their whole lives without ever reaching. That same year, the castle debuted on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list as the highest new entry and has never left since.
You can call it a career. Or you can call it proof that persistence in an unlikely place outweighs any prime address in the right city.
To understand what ends up on your plate here, you first need to look at the garden. The vegetable garden at the castle sets the tone. Caminada and his head chef and co-owner Marcel Skibba cook with whatever is growing and ripening in Fürstenau at that moment. This isn’t just a marketing line-it’s how they work: the soil dictates the menu, not the other way around.
The Domleschg Valley has an ace up its sleeve that few expect: a mild microclimate where things thrive that you wouldn’t anticipate in an Alpine valley. Szechuan pepper, persimmons, Malabar spinach-ingredients that sound exotic yet ripen within sight of the mountains. Then there’s what the region has always done best: Bündner mountain cheese, herbs from their own garden, locally sourced meat. The philosophy is simple yet uncompromising: take the best of what’s right outside your door and distrust everything else.
The result, as every guide agrees, is a cuisine of carefully balanced harmony-one that doesn’t overpower but simply presents. I won’t spoil the specific dishes for you, because the menu breathes with the seasons, and what’s ripe in June won’t be in November. That’s the whole point: you’re not just eating a menu. You’re eating a moment in the valley.
You’re not eating a menu here. You’re eating a moment of this valley: whatever ripened on that exact day.– The philosophy behind Schauenstein’s garden-to-table kitchen
There’s one detail at Schauenstein that reveals more about the place than any Michelin star ever could. The meal doesn’t happen at a single table-it travels. Aperitifs are served in one room, main courses in another, drinks and petits fours in yet another part of the house. You stand, you move, you see the castle from different angles, and with each room, the evening’s mood shifts.
This isn’t a gimmick. It’s a carefully crafted experience. A meal at a fixed table is like a concert you listen to seated. This is more like a stroll through a house that gradually reveals its rooms. The two main dining spaces, where the heart of the experience unfolds, seat barely thirty guests and are deliberately understated-almost sparse-so nothing distracts from the plate. The rest of the experience lives in the movement.
And then there’s the service, which the international culinary world praises with an admiration usually reserved for the food itself. Precise yet warm, it’s that rare balance you only notice when it’s missing. Here, it never is.
Let’s talk numbers, because they’re extraordinary-then let’s talk about why they’re not the most important thing. Schauenstein currently holds three Michelin stars and 19 out of 20 points in the GaultMillau guide, a level only a handful of restaurants in Switzerland have reached. Add to that its permanent spot on the World’s 50 Best list, which has made the castle an international destination since 2010. Michelin stars are awarded anew each year, and smart establishments never rest on their laurels; that’s why the cautious phrasing here isn’t just a platitude-it’s respect for the fact that none of it is ever guaranteed.
But the stars don’t explain why people travel from Tokyo or New York to a valley of just 350 souls. Something else does. Caminada didn’t turn the castle into a solitary gem-he created a universe: the IGNIV bistro, built around sharing and conviviality, now with multiple locations; the Fundaziun Uccelin, which he founded with his wife Sarah to nurture young talent in the kitchen and service. He doesn’t just cook. He’s rebuilding a valley.
There’s one thing that sets Schauenstein apart from most grand tables, and it’s as simple as it is crucial: you don’t have to leave. The castle has eleven rooms and suites tucked into its ancient walls-low ceilings, thoughtfully renovated, with a small garden and pool in summer. Here, you can eat *and* sleep, and that changes everything.
Because the enemy of every great meal is the clock ticking in the back of your mind. How long is the drive home? Who’s behind the wheel? Should you risk that last glass? At Schauenstein, those questions vanish. You surrender to the evening because your bed is just two flights of stairs away. The next morning, you wake up in a castle, in a valley just beginning to brighten, and the meal from the night before lingers like a great conversation. That’s the real luxury: not the star, but the permission to stay.
Let’s be honest-it’s not cheap, and spontaneity is rare. A table here is a journey, not a coincidence. But for those who stop collecting addresses and instead commit to one, this is the one to choose. Some places you visit. A few, you experience.
In the end, it’s not the memory of a single course that stays with you. It’s the image of a valley someone refused to leave – and instead made so irresistible to the world that people took the detour. The castle at the upper end of the world’s smallest city isn’t a restaurant to check off a list. It’s one you’ll still be talking about years later, more quietly than usual, and with a little more warmth.
In Fürstenau, a tiny village in Domleschg in the canton of Graubünden, at the foot of Piz Beverin. Fürstenau has around 350 residents and has held city rights since 1354. It calls itself the smallest city in the world.
Most recently, Schauenstein held three Michelin stars and 19 GaultMillau points, firmly securing its place on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Michelin ratings change annually, so it’s best to check the current status directly with the restaurant.
The cuisine is strictly regional, starting in the castle’s own garden. And the menu moves: aperitifs, main courses, and petits fours are served in three different rooms of the castle-a meal that becomes a journey through the historic building.
Yes. The castle offers eleven rooms and suites within its ancient walls, carefully renovated, with a small garden and pool available in summer. For many, the real appeal is that after the meal, guests don’t have to leave-dinner becomes an overnight experience.
What belongs on the plate and in the glass. Craftsmanship, origin, and the art of good taste. Stay tuned to //TASTE.
