Zermatt specialist Mountain Exposure is adding star quality to its luxury chalet dining with the introduction of a Michelin-starred chef. Super-chef Gerry Kirwan has joined the team in its flagship property The Lodge, and will be producing gourmet dinners and breakfasts for groups of up to ten clients until the end of this season in late April.

Kirwan won the coveted star when he ran The Commons Restaurant in Dublin in 1993. He subsequently started his own Michelin-rated restaurant in Athlone, Co. Westmeath in 1995, for two years, and has since worked at Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork.

A typical dinner menu, starting with fine canapés and complimentary Champagne, might include his signature dishes: chicken and wild mushroom sausage with celeriac puree and pancetta jus cracked with white truffle oil, or pan-fried seared turbot on crushed baby potatoes with spring onion and a mussel broth topped with wilted spinach.

Kirwan, who, along with his wife Ann, forms a chef and host team, comments; “We love it here, it is an opportunity to ski in a world-class resort and offer quality food to truly appreciative clients. Zermatt is renowned for both gourmet and skiing excellence, and we’re delighted to be a part of both.

“If a client makes an unusual request, we happily rise to the occasion! One client asked for my venison with sweet potato rosti three days running; another requested very specialised vegetarian menus, which is no problem for us.”

Donald Scott, aka ‘The Gourmet Ski Guide’, and director of Zermatt chalet specialist Mountain Exposure, adds: “We are delighted Gerry has joined our team of top chefs in our luxury chalets. Our ethos is about gourmet living and Gerry’s presence has greatly enhanced this.”