Zineb Hattab , a Moroccan born swiss chef has been awarded Switzerland’s first Michelin star for her 100% vegan restaurant, KLE, in Zurich. The young prize winning chef of the Swiss Culinary Merit, is setting new standards in the culinary world: she embodies a new generation of chefs where flavour meets ethics.
The moroccan-born Zineb Hattab grew up on the Costa Brava, in Spain, where her parents had settled. She originally began her career in computer engineering, but it was her passion for fine food that changed her course. Trained by renowned chefs such as Andreas Caminada in Switzerland and at the famous Cosme restaurant in New York.
In 2020, she opened KLE in Zurich, serving vegan cuisine with Moroccan and Mexican influences. Her restaurant was already praised by food critics, achieving a score of 14 in the French “Gault et Millau” guide, earning the title of “Discovery of the Year’. She then opened her second restaurant, DAR, in Zurich in October 2021, with a more pronounced Moroccan influence.
KLE became the first vegan restaurant in Switzerland to be awarded a MICHELIN star in 2022, in recognition of the finesse and creativity of its cuisine. The award was combined with a MICHELIN Green Star, recognising the restaurant’s dedication to sustainable living and its use of local and organic ingredients.
Earlier that year, Zineb Hattab was selected as one of the “Hospitality Pioneers” by the world’s 50 Next list, which celebrates emerging leaders in global gastronomy.
The Swiss Culinary Merit is a distinction given to seven outstanding professionals.
