Trouble at Zermatt's five-star hotel Celebrity chef Heinz Rufibach has to go
The much-praised chef Heinz Rufibach has to leave the five-star Zermatterhof in Zermatt VS. His successor, Stefan Lünse from the "Lenkerhof" in Lenk BE, is facing major challenges.
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- After eight years, it's over: Heinz Rufibach must relinquish his post as Executive Chef of the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof in Zermatt VS.
- The 63-year-old, who established the hotel restaurant with 16 Gault Millau points and a Michelin star, has been given his leave of absence at the end of August 2025.
- It is already clear who Rufibach's successor will be: It is Stefan Lünse from the "Lenkerhof" in Lenk BE.
"Executive Chef Heinz Rufibach from the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof in Zermatt VS is one of the most successful Swiss chefs. He continues to improve year after year, even beyond the age of 60," noted Gastrojournal in summer 2024.
And now, just under a year later, this news: Rufibach, who established the hotel restaurant with 16 Gault Millau points and a Michelin star, is to be let go at the end of August 2025.
According to Gault-Millau Switzerland, the message from "Chief of Staff" Fernando Clemenz to the "esteemed members of the management" was rather dry:
"On behalf of Markus Marti, General Manager Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, I would like to inform you that the employment relationship was terminated on Saturday with due notice as of August 31."
Stefan Lünse to succeed Heinz Rufibach
According to the Helvetian gastronomic bible, Heinz Rufibach had sensed for some time that his services would soon no longer be in demand at the five-star hotel in Zermatt.
"I don't know if I can be happy about it for much longer," Rufibach is said to have said when he learned that his star pupil Miri Schwarz had been rewarded with the 14th point by Gaul-Millau for her performance in the second restaurant Lusi.
So now his premonition has been confirmed - to his chagrin.
It is already clear who will succeed Heinz Rufibach at the "Zermatterhof", a flagship of the Zermatt Burgergemeinde:
It is Stefan Lünse.
Lünse was Executive Chef at the "Lenkerhof" in Lenk BE for ten years. At the Spettacolo restaurant there, he cooked his way to 16 Gault Millau points, and the second restaurant Oh de vie is also rated 14 points by the critics of the gastronomic bible.
For Rufibach, "a world has collapsed"
According to Gault-Millau, Lünse is said to have strolled through Zermatt more often recently - and he is even said to have stayed overnight at the "Zermatterhof".
A Herculean task awaits Stefan Lünse in the Valais vacation resort: he has to build up a new kitchen brigade by the start of the summer season on May 1st.
According to Gault-Millau, 16 of the 18 previous Zermatterhof chefs, including Rufibach's deputy Mirjam Schwarz, have not signed the new employment contracts.
"For many of them, a world has collapsed," Heinz Rufibach tells Gault-Millau. For him too: "I'm 63 years old. It's going to be difficult to find something suitable."
