THE HOSTS
MATTHIAS ALTHOF 17.10.1966
I grew up in Blomberg / Lippe in North Rhine-Westphalia, from where I started my career as a chef in the Grünental hunting restaurant after completing high school. My path soon led me to renowned Ticino businesses and in winter to the Hotel Schatzalp in Davos, to the Hotel Des Alpes in Arosa and to the cruise ships of the Royal Viking Queen. Well-known stops in Ticino were the Albergo Losone, Castello del Sole, Giardino, Reber and Belvedere, before I settled in the Castello Seeschloss in Ascona for ten years as a chef. The leap into independence took place together with Elvira in 2011: We took over the Ristorante Tentazioni in Cavigliano, where in 2012 we were celebrated by Gault Millau with 15 points and as "Discovery of the Year". In 2013 we moved to the Osteria dell´Enoteca in Losone, where we were awarded 14 Gault Millau points. I love traveling to Italy, collecting and trying out new ideas, and of course cooking, eating, drinking and getting to know people. In 2014 we took over the Gasthaus am Brunnen in Valendas. The endless variety of guests and encounters that this business brings with it fills me with joy every day.
ELVIRA SOLÈR 08.02.1977
After my childhood and school days in Valendas, I completed my apprenticeship as a confectioner in Chur. This was followed by years of apprenticeship and hiking, I spent several pastry seasons at Casa Berno in Ticino, at the Waldhotel Arosa, at the Hotel Mirabeau in Zermatt, at the Hotel Des Alpes in Flims and at the Hotel Duc de Rohan in Chur. This was followed by five years as a confectioner in the Pasticceria Marnin in Locarno. From 2011 Matthias and I ran the Ristorante Tentazioni in Cavigliano, later the Osteria dell´Enoteca in Losone. We have been in Valendas since 2014 and run the Gasthaus am Brunnen, which brought life to the village, with great joy.