From the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland to the sun-drenched shores of the Balearic Islands, René Schudel’s journey has seen many exciting twists – and, amongst them, some significant turning points. Yet, somehow, the renowned chef and restaurateur’s path always leads him back to Ibiza.
Originally hailing from the Interlaken area in the canton of Bern, René was only seven years old when he visited the White Island for the first time with his father. He recalls that when the plane doors opened, his parent told him, “This is the moment when you decide if you will never come back – or you’ll return time and time again.” And return, he would – and more than that, leave his mark on the island’s culinary scene.
What captivated René on these early family holidays, when he would stay in the Hotel Ses Savines in San Antonio, was that inimitable ‘Ibiza vibe’ his father had told him about. It lured him back year after year, and, as fate would have it, he almost became a professional DJ.
René says, “In the 1980s I was super into music and even produced my own electronic tracks. But my father told me I had to do an apprenticeship, because he didn’t believe (that) DJing was a proper job. So, completely randomly, I chose to train as a chef to keep him quiet – because I thought afterwards I can do what I want!”
One of the first things he did after finishing his chef’s training, was to book a flight to Ibiza, where he spent two years at Club Punta Arabi in Es Canar as a DJ and entertainer.
“I played everywhere; at Cafe del Mar in Es Paradis, it was madness,” he laughs. “One special evening, there were a few of us DJs hanging out together and I ended up cooking for everyone – and my friends told me that I cook better than I play music.”
It was a true Sliding Doors moment for René – one that led him to make a life-changing choice between his two passions. With chefs enjoying “a bit of a cool moment” thanks to young and hip kitchen maestros like Jamie Oliver and Tim Mälzer, he chose to fully commit to his culinary career. His first restaurant followed soon, and the rest, as they say, is history. “I still have my old record collection at home, though,” René says. “Over 14,000 vinyls and CDs – it’s huge! I got many records at Delta Discos in Ibiza Town – back then you could still buy them by the kilo price.”
It’s a choice that he doesn’t regret, and, looking back over his many culinary achievements to-date, it’s easy to see why: From multiple successful restaurant projects in Switzerland as well as the popular Green Ibiza pop-up in Marina Botafoch a few years ago to his own cooking shows and a stint as a TV judge on the Swiss edition of “Family Food Fight”, René’s ascent in the world of gastronomy has been nothing short of stellar.
Not one to rest on his laurels, his latest venture sees René apply his expertise as a star chef to the world of kitchens – a natural and confident next step. Created in collaboration with his friend, an expert kitchen manufacturer from Switzerland, the Marti Outdoor Kitchen (MOK) by René Schudel is an impressive allrounder of a cooking station that not only catches the eye, but will also capture the heart of professional and home chefs alike – and BBQ maestros looking to ‘beef up’ their own island kitchens can see the masterpiece on display at island-based stockists GO PLUS in the Montecristo industrial estate on the San Antonio road between Ibiza Town and San Rafael.
Designed in all-chrome stainless steel with sleek, minimalist lines and a touch of industrial edge, the one-piece outdoor kitchen was inspired by South American ‘asador’ grills – and René’s love of cooking on open fire!
“It’s a gastronomic kitchen built to gastronomic norms, but it fits into every household. We spent a long time working on it, and I’m super happy how it turned out,” he enthuses. “It’s super diverse: You can work with skewers, you can smoke things, you can fillet meat and fish – and you can work directly on the fire. It’s the perfect tool to prepare everything that is so amazing to eat here in Ibiza: From fresh seafood to a classic ‘pollo payes’ or a succulent lamb.”
Foodies who are keen to get some cooking tips and tricks from the kitchen star himself for creating an Ibicencan feast should tune into René’s popular TV show “Schudel’s Food Stories”, broadcast twice a year on ProSieben Schweiz and available for streaming on Joyn. The master chef has shot no less than eight episodes on Ibiza, tackling Balearic specialities such as Bullit de Peix fish stew and Eggs Benedict with Sobrasada sausage.
Speaking of Ibiza’s rich culinary offering, when René isn’t cooking himself, the gastronomy expert prefers the simple pleasures the island has to offer.
“I love the simplicity of classic ‘chiringuitos’ like the little beach bar in Pou d’es Lleo – no WiFi, no credit cards. I don’t need to come to Ibiza to eat caviar, I can get that in any city in the world. I just want to have amazing gambas al ajillo, a squeaky wooden chair, and sit amongst the cool old Ibicencos – because I’m in Spain!”
Instead of the glitzy global chains that continue to arrive on the island’s shores, René is more impressed by the regenerative agricultural efforts of local farms such as Terra Masia and Juntos Farm, which belongs to one of his good friends.
So could Ibiza tempt him again to start another venture in the future? “Immediately,” he says, “If the right project comes to me that would allow me to do work from my soul. And, of course, it has to make some sort of financial sense. When the big chain supermarkets arrived on the island, an old Ibicenco told me, ‘Most people arrive here with suitcases – but many go home with plastic bags’.”
MOK Showroom
MOK Showroom at Go Plus
Calle Llauradors, Pol. Montecristo Industrial, 1, Nave 3
07816 Sant Antoni de Portmany
Recipe
Caramelised plum and orange salad with Hierbas dressing
Serves 2-4 (Prep time 30 min)
4 ripe plums
4 tbsp raw cane sugar
2 oranges
2 tbsp olive oil
100 g rocket
100 g cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh basil
2 sprigs fresh oregano
100 g fresh goat cheese
Halve and pit the plums. In a hot pan, caramelise half of the sugar until golden. Place the plums cut-side down in the pan and let them caramelise briefly.
Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, removing all the white pith, then slice them into rounds. In the same way, caramelise the remaining sugar and quickly coat the orange slices.
Wash and dry the rocket thoroughly and arrange it on a large platter. Distribute the caramelised plums and oranges on top. Halve the cherry tomatoes and scatter them over the salad. Gently tear the basil and oregano leaves from their stems and sprinkle them across the dish. Finally, break the goat cheese into pieces and add it to the salad.
For the Hierbas Dressing
1 large clove of garlic
1 tbsp raw cane sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
50 ml Hierbas (Ibiza’s herbal liqueur)
A pinch of sea salt
3 pinches of black pepper
Peel the garlic and slice it thinly. Caramelise the sugar in a small pan, then add the olive oil and stir. Add the garlic and let it briefly caramelise as well. Deglaze with the Hierbas liqueur, season with salt and pepper, and let it simmer for a moment. Allow it to cool slightly before drizzling over the salad.
