Sometimes you need a little luck. Corin Schmid was walking through the forest with her parents' dogs when she suddenly spotted a mushroom on a tree. "I thought it might be chicken of the woods, but I wasn't sure", says the head chef of the "Drei Stuben" restaurant in Zurich. To verify whether the mushroom was indeed the infamous chicken of the woods, Schmid called her mushroom supplier. She was spot on! "You don't come across this type of mushroom all that often, so I gathered as many as I could and took them back to the restaurant with me." In total, I had 14 kilos of chicken of the woods."
This couldn't have worked out better as game season is currently in full swing at the "Drei Stuben" restaurant. Schmid used the rare delicacy to make a velouté, which she pours over an autumnal starter – confit egg yolk with tarragon cream and porcini mushrooms. "Game season is my favourite. It's a time when everyone looks forward to spaetzle and red cabbage. Outside, autumn is setting in, while inside, we're packed to the brim. It's such a beautiful time of year", says Schmid. "We've made a name for ourselves over the past three years and we're very proud of this. We have a very good relationship with the hunters in the Zurich Oberland region."
How much Zurich game the hunters will shoot this year is still not entirely clear. "There is a lynx in the Oberland. He kills deer to provide for his young", explains Schmid. But that's the way of nature. In an emergency, she resorts to game from Graubünden. However, one thing's for certain – the game will always come from Switzerland, that's important to Schmid. Alongside her local producers, Schmid also relies on her "forest fairy" Helga. "She's an elderly woman who forages for herbs, mushrooms and berries in the woods and brings them to us."
Corin Schmid knew from an early age that she wanted to become a chef. "We used to have piglets, chickens, rabbits and geese. We slaughtered them, made sausages and smoked the meat ourselves. Food has always played an important role for us." While on work experience, she was shown how to make a French dressing. "I was so fascinated by the emulsion – that's when I knew I wanted to become a chef and learn more about these kind of things", she laughs. Schmid completed her apprenticeship at Hotel Metropol in Arbon. Afterwards, she worked as a pastry chef at "Netts" in St. Gallen, before moving to Zurich, where she worked at the "Drei Stuben" restaurant for the first time. "After this placement as chef de partie, I switched to front of house because I really wanted to get to know the other side as well."
However, the most profound change in Schmid's life occurred while she was working at Waldhaus Flims. "The phone rang out of the blue. I answered it and was told that I had been invited to a trial cooking session with Anton Mosimann in London. I hadn't even applied!" What Schmid didn't know at the time of the phone call was that her father had secretly applied on her behalf. Corin Schmid flew to London, introduced herself and went on to spend four years alongside Mosimann. "He may not have cooked with us every day, but he came every morning, shook everyone's hand and then demonstrated something to us."
The famous Swiss chef has cooked for the British royals on countless occasions – and now Corin Schmid also shares in that privilege. "We had a catering job at Buckingham Palace. We had to go in through the staff entrance, of course. But Anton said to us, 'Come with me! I have something to show you'. And then we walked through the corridors of the palace and Anton went into every room and gave us a proper tour."
Back in Switzerland, Corin Schmid joined "The Artisan" in Zurich Wipkingen. She steadily worked her way up to head chef. Three years ago, Artisan owner Mark Thommen decided to take over the "Drei Stuben" restaurant as well. "Now I'm head chef in both establishments. I am responsible for the creative offering, I write the menus and do the planning. Sometimes I'm here, sometimes there – wherever I'm most needed at the time."
Now I'm head chef in both establishments. I am responsible for the creative offering, I write the menus and do the planning. Sometimes I'm here, sometimes there – wherever I'm most needed at the time.
"The Artisan" is a modern, urban restaurant that mainly uses products from its own garden. The "Drei Stuben" is more traditional. But that's only half the story. "We may have cordon bleu on the menu, but we're not a traditional cordon bleu restaurant. I like dishes that are rich in tradition and artisanship. But I want to make these dishes a little lighter and more feminine." Schmid is not afraid to put veal tongue on the menu from time to time, either. This is served with horseradish cream, mustard seed vinaigrette and lovage cream. And of course, spaetzle and red cabbage are a firm staple. These accompany the saddle of venison. Vegetarians will not be disappointed either. For the main, there's spiced pumpkin with mandarin & pumpkin soffritto and goat's cheese.
Text: Kathia Baltisberger, Photos: Olivia Pulver, Date: 06.11.2025
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