Sandra‘s Closet

If you are living in Switzerland, you will know that fondue and raclette are traditionally served during the holiday season. As these dishes are quite filling and heavy, there comes a time when I am petrified of eating one more portion of melted cheese. Therefore I was positively surprised by this unique winter barbecue experience I had with Terrazas de los Andes, which is part of the Moët Hennessy Wine Division, on Monday at the Park Hyatt Zürich Hotel.

The so-called «Wintergrill at the Park» is an extraordinary culinary winter experience created by Executive Chef Frank Widmer in a specially designed chalet on the terrace of the well known 5-star hotel, right in the heart of the Limmat city. All dishes are paired with selected wines from Terrazas de los Andes, such as Terrazas Torrontés, served in the form of a cocktail with ginger, honey and thyme (so delicious), the classic Terrazas Malbec and the Single Vineyard Las Compuertas Malbec. The winery is located in the heart of Perdriel and at the foot of the impressive Andes mountain range in Argentina.

What can you expect? In the Terrazas chalet, meat and fish are grilled «asado style» according to the motto «rough luxury» and are accompanied by either a delicious winter salad and corn chutney or with pickled pumpkin, hazelnut polenta and Brussels sprouts. For dessert, Frank Widmer pays homage to Swiss apples. A manzana or a dulce de leche with canned and grilled fruit is waiting for you.

The «Wintergrill at the Park» is open until the 22nd of December 2018 for lunch or dinner. Please note that there are only 8 places available in the chalet. Reservations of 6 or more is possible, the dinner experience starts at CHF 150.- per person. Choose between two exquisite selected menus during the Christmas season accompanied by the unique Argentine Terrazas wines.

I loved it and find it a great alternative to fondue for a dinner invitation among friends during the advent season.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Park Hyatt and © Sandra Bauknecht

Last month, I was invited to a very special seated dinner by LA PRAIRIE to celebrate the launch of the brand’s newest product CELLULAR RADIANCE PERFECTING FLUIDE PURE GOLD from the Cellular Radiance Collection at a private home in Zurich.

The exquisite 3-course menu prepared by Frank Widmer, Park Hyatt Zurich’s renowned chef,  let us indulge in the essence of golden opulence.

With Frank Widmer at the dinner. The dress code was a touch of gold.

Gold-infused main course.

Werner Dirks, General Manager La Prairie Switzerland.

CELLULAR RADIANCE PERFECTING FLUIDE PURE GOLD

The Swiss beauty brand’s latest advancement in radiance is a gold-infused serum that fills wrinkles within one hour using potent age-defying technology to revitalize and perfect the skin. Bathed in golden light, your skin is visibly perfected in an instant. Over time, this liquid gold deeply revitalizes and enhances your complexion. You will look sublime, irresistible, as if lit from within.

The scientists at La Prairie have harnessed the power of pure gold and combined it with an exclusive Golden Lotus Blend made with Lotus Japonicas, an extraordinary flower long-revered for its luminous and brightening abilities.

Apply the new fluide in the morning and evening after cleansing, toning and the serum application. Allow it to absorb completely. If you need additional moisture, it can also be applied over your favourite moisturizer.

2016 starts with probably the most luxurious skincare release of the year. CELLULAR RADIANCE PERFECTING FLUIDE PURE GOLD will be available for CHF 620.- (40ml) from January 25, 2016.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of La Prairie and © Sandra Bauknecht 

Today, Zurich’s famous food festival starts again: the 3rd edition of IL TAVOLO kicks off with the opening night at Gate Gourmet, the leading independent provider of airline catering. I feel very honored to be in the second consecutive year the ambassador of the PARK HYATT ZURICH, which is one of the host hotels besides BAUR AU LAC, EDEN AU LAC, STORCHEN, THE DOLDER GRAND and WIDDER HOTEL.

At the photo shoot for the campaign this spring

The kitchen battle is on: At the recent Il Tavolo kick-off event at Blaue Ente with Andermatt-Investor Samih Sawiris this spring.

Here you see me at last year’s opening party at Bärengasse cooking alongside Park Hyatt’s famous chef Frank Widmer, author of the cook book “The Cook and the Cowboy“. I cannot wait for our revival tonight…

Il Tavolo is taking place from 25 to 30 June 2014. Tickets are available at Jelmoli + 41 44 220 46 00 or under www.ticketino.ch.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Il Tavolo, © Ilja Tschanen for Blick and © Sandra Bauknecht

Last Wednesday, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich 2013 officially started with the opening gala. More than 26 designers from America, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Switzerland presented their collections from November 13 – 16, 2013 at the Schiffbau in Zurich.

I started the night with an event for American Express Centurion where I gave the exclusive clientele an insight into the world of fashion and catwalk shows. Before the runway presentations started, we enjoyed a gorgeous dinner in the VIP tent, prepared by no other than Frank Widmer from the Park Hyatt, one of the official partners of the MBFDZ.

The first designer to present that night was Gabriele Colangelo, who is said to probably succeed Jil Sander after her  recently-announced departure from her namesake label. The charming Italian, who had worked for Roberto Cavalli and Versace, has a minimalist aesthetic which could be quite a nice fit for Jil Sander. For this season, he was inspired by Japan, Samurai trousers and sandals. If you look close, his devotion to texture can be seen in many details.

Gabriele Colangelo with me backstage

The Swiss designers Eliane Diethelm and Joanna Skoczylas presented their bridal collection LBD White, romantic creations for the most beautiful day in your life.

Polish designer Maciej Zień launched his first collection at the age of 17 and has made a brilliant career during the last 15 years. In Zurich, he presented his S/S 2014 collection with interesting details that showed a lot of skin.

The German twins Daniela and Annette Felder who are based in London immersed the Swiss fashion crowd in a watery-themed S/S 2014 collection for their eponymous label Felder Felder. Models appeared on the runway with damp skin and slicked-back hair giving the impression they had just emerged from the waves.

The Felder twins with me and below with Lena Gercke.

It was a great night and I had a lot of fun. Stay tuned for the upcoming posts about the other three events.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, © Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich,
A huge thank you to © Andrea Monica Hug and © David Biedert for those lovely pictures of me

Last Wednesday, I was invited by Montblanc to DINE & TIME with famous chefs Ivo Adam and Frank Widmer at Park Hyatt‘s Parkhuus restaurant in Zurich. It was a race against or better said with time. Each course of the gala dinner was defined by its maturing or preparation time of the ingredients and served to a certain time matching this number.

Another fun detail was the race between the watch maker to assemble parts of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph and the pastry chef to create a watch-inspired cake.

Jérôme Lambert framed by Raquel Marquard to the right and my humble self to the left.

It was the first official event in Europe to which Montblanc International’s new CEO, Jérôme Lambert, had invited and I felt very honoured to sit next to him.

Great news is: Montblanc’s amazing ‘Signature for Good’ collection, a range of special edition products, has already achieved its goal and raised 1.5 million dollars for UNICEF’s education and literacy programmes for children worldwide. Congrats!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Montblanc

Yesterday, I spent a fun afternoon at the Park Hyatt Zurich filming the short film for this year’s Il Tavolo Food Festival which will take place from June 27 -30, 2013. For more information and to get tickets, please click here.

The movie directed by Gerry Hofstetter will be presented at the opening night that will be held at the Bärengasse restaurant. I am feeling very honoured to be part of this fun event as one of the amateur chefs which might surprise some of my friends. Cooking has never belonged to my biggest passions, but I love to decorate the plates and the table. Nevertheless, you have to challenge yourself sometimes.

Frank Widmer, Executive Chef at the Park Hyatt in Zurich, took me under his wing and with his help, I managed to prepare some very yummy food yesterday. And as you can see, I had a blast and even learned how to sauté the calamari.

Enjoy those behind the scenes photos! They will surely whet your appetite…
If you like my look, click here for the previous post when we shot the ad.

LoL, Sandra

A happy team: Frank Widmer framed by Lucy Tallo (PR/TICULAR) and my humble self. 
Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht