Matthias Schwer

Coming Up

Today, the kitchen at Zum Kreuz is led by Matthias Schwer.

Where They Are Now

Since 2023, the work at Zum Kreuz (Sankt Märgen, Germany) has been shaped by the cadence of an independent house: local, personal, and bound to the daily life around it. Matthias Schwer’s current offering, Genussmenu MS, is described by the restaurant as convincing cooking and an experience for the senses. The name keeps the authorship close to the plate, without needing to overstate it. The menu reads as a revision of familiar ground. It suggests a kitchen that is working with lineage rather than quoting it, treating tradition as material to be sharpened, adjusted, and returned in a new register. In that sense, Matthias Schwer is using the menu format as a way to keep the house moving, not as a fixed declaration. What also defines the work is the plain language around independent hospitality. Matthias Schwer has said, “It is even about survival for many of us.” That clarity fits the setting. In a family-run house, cooking sits alongside service, continuity, and the practical demands of keeping the business steady from one day to the next. Recognition still matters, but it sits inside that wider operating reality.

Signature

Matthias's signature dishes include Genussmenu MS and Schwarzwälder 2.0.

In Their Words “Wonderful, actually! For me, that is what makes a family business. Every generation has its own ideas and notions that differ from those of the parents, and so a kitchen keeps developing.” “To lead a family business step by step into the future is something different from starting from scratch at the drawing board.”

Honors

Matthias's honors include MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand (2024).