i. Biography
The apprenticeship-to-hotel-kitchen line is a practical trade inheritance: station discipline, timing, heat control, and product handling before the plate leaves the pass. In Urs Gschwend’s current work, that line is visible across two settings — the brasserie world of Basel and the Alpine atmosphere of Grindelwald — and through two different pressures: a wood grill that sets the pace of service, and Mara des Bois Fraises, a dessert credited to him in 2021.
Coming Up
Hotel brasserie work and grill work ask for different registers, but the base requirements stay the same: accuracy, pace, and judgment. Since 2024, Urs Gschwend has held the roles of Executive Chef of Brasserie Les Trois Rois and Head Chef of BG's Grill, moving between the polish expected of a hotel address and the directness of cooking over fire. The route from apprenticeship to hotel kitchens is built by repetition more than announcement. In Gschwend’s case, the craft record sits in the ability to make experience legible on the plate: grounded, direct, composed. The same control required for Mara des Bois Fraises also applies to a kitchen structured around fire, smoke, and the demands of Alpine appetite.
Where They Are Now
Brasserie cooking inside a Basel hospitality address carries its own discipline. At Brasserie Les Trois Rois, the role asks for food that fits the rhythm of a hotel setting: clear, balanced, and assured without becoming rigid. Alpine grill cooking at BG's Grill in Grindelwald is framed as casual Alpine soul food with familiar and surprising dishes. Local products are central to the kitchen, where meat, fish, and more are prepared on the wood grill. In that format, the grill is not backdrop; it sets pace, heat, and character. Meat cooked on a powerful grill is named as a particular strength in Gschwend’s work. That places the craft emphasis where it belongs: product, fire, smoke, timing, turning, resting, and service. The result depends as much on ingredient origin as on the handwork that carries it through heat. Urban lifestyle Alpine cuisine gives the restaurant its broader frame. In that setting, Gschwend and his team combine craftsmanship and provenance, keeping the mountain context present while giving the plates contemporary ease.
Signature
Mara des Bois Fraises, credited to Urs Gschwend in 2021, sits in a different craft register from the grill. As a signature dish, it points to control at lower volume and finer scale: fruit, freshness, texture, and restraint handled without the physical force of flame.
Honors
Recognition covers both individual hotel-kitchen work and the restaurant platform.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Urs
What is Urs Gschwend's current role?
Urs Gschwend is Executive Chef.
What recognition has Urs Gschwend received?
Hotelchef of the Year and one of the Hotel Employees of the Year 2025 (2025).
What is Urs Gschwend known for?
He creates urban lifestyle Alpine cuisine at BG's Grill.
