It’s all just too exciting, so I’ll simply come out and say it: the Salon du Chocolat, the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate, will be taking place in Switzerland for the first time !  Better yet, it will be here in Zürich (at Messe Zürich) from March 30 to April 1, 2012.  Mark your calendars for a sweet event not to be missed !

And guess what else… I’m helping organize it !!  I’m thrilled to be working again with Salon du Chocolat founders Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet and their team in Paris.  (I worked with them on the New York Chocolate Show when living there several years ago.)  Read the rest of this story >>

Recognizable by its signature snail logo, the Slow Food organization is all about understanding more about the food we eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices impact the rest of the world.  Pretty much, everything that is lost with fast food !  While Slow Food Switzerland has been around since 1993, we just had our first ever Slow Food Market (Il Salone del Buon Gusto / Le Salon du Bon Goût) in Zürich, where local and regional producers connected directly with the public. Taste, discover, discuss and buy.  I had the pleasure of listening to Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini speak (in German, Italian and French !) about the concept of “Retour à la Nature“; the Terra Madre network of food communities, defined by place of origin; as well as how that all meshes with the values of Swiss artisans and consumers.  “Slow Food unites the pleasure of food with responsibility, sustainability and harmony with nature.”

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The first of July marked three years that I have been living in Zürich.  And yet when I walk out the door of my apartment, I still get that giddy excitement of a child when I see the Alps crisp in the distance or a perfect reflection of one of the many churches on the river; and I continue to smile when I walk up and down my favorite winding, cobblestone streets in the old town.  You’d think that after a while, it would wear off.  Not a bit.

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When I heard about a new sweet shop opening in Zürich, you can imagine how excited I got.  Especially since the name of it had one of my favorite French words: Gourmandises.  You can also imagine my surprise then when I learned that the pastry chefs behind Les Gourmandises de Miyuko were not French, nor Japanese, but Swiss German.  This deserved some investigation…

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I have to admit, I didn’t mind going to school when I was younger. I even loved taking notes, which I still do.  But I doubt I was asking for homework, like I recently did here in Zürich. What kind of class was this, you wonder… Chocolate, but of course. It was actually a class on chocolate and wine, even if my focus was certainly on the former. Our instructors taught us all about the cacao bean and the grape, what they consider two of the most fascinating products on earth.

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Before we know it, nary a chocolate bunny ear will be found in the shops around town.  Easter accessories will soon make way for other spring-like decorations, and it will be a whole year until Lindt’s famous gold-wrapped chocolate bunnies take over the supermarkets again here in Zürich.   Hand-painted Easter eggs are no longer at the markets either, with their intricate designs and impressive handicraft.  But what you do see – 365 days of the year – are bright, colorful eggs.

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As you all know, my Zürich is sweet Zürich !  And from now on, I’ll be sharing this Zürich with you on a whole new level.   I’ll let my sweet tooth guide you on a tour around the charming old town to discover some of the city’s most irresistible sweets.  An original, fun and delicious way to visit Switzerland’s most happening city, and learn that it’s not only milk chocolate in the Alps.

Read on below – in this 200th post of MyKugelhopf ! – about the launch of … Sweet Zürich !  (information will always be available by clicking “Kugel-tours” above, beneath the masthead)

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It’s not that I’ve been keeping it a secret from you.  I simply never mentioned one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Zürich.  It’s where I have a monthly lunch date with a friend.  It’s where my mom asks to go for lunch as soon as she arrives at the airport here.  It’s where I take friends who are visiting, as well as my carnivorous husband.  It’s Hiltl, Europe’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, since 1898.

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When December rolls around and the holidays approach, what gets you the most excited? For some, it’s the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and taking it home to decorate, not to mention placing wrapped gifts underneath.  For others, it’s thinking of their city filled with festive lights – always an elegant display here in Zürich.  Still others anticipate the winter markets, roasting chestnuts by the fire or cooking and baking family recipes.  For me… it’s Weihnachtsguetzli, Christmas cookies, of course! (recipes below)

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Macarons in New York.  Frozen yogurt in Paris. And now… Cupcakes in Zürich.

Melanie Studer, originally from Basel, just opened the very first cupcake shop in the German part of Switzerland. (You can get your fix in the French part here or here.)  Despite having to spell out the word c-u-p-c-a-k-e and explain what it is each time someone calls her, she can’t seem to bake enough.  800 cupcakes left her small, pink shop in Zürich’s old town on opening day.  Having spent several years in the UK with her British boyfriend, tasting the treats at Primrose Bakery and a small, glittery bakery in Covent Gardens, she fell in love with these little cakes and especially their bright colors and fun decorations.

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