Welcome to my Helvetic Kitchen

My name is Andie Pilot. I grew up near the Canadian Rockies, in Calgary, and now I live near the Swiss Alps, in the beautiful Emmental.

As a kid, I came to Switzerland every summer to visit my grandparents in Walenstadt, and to gorge on Cervelat, Gipfeli, Apfelschorle, paprika chips, Migros Ice Tea, Pralinato, and Coupe Dänemark. This (plus my Aunt Vreni’s Birche rmüesli and my grandmother’s Wähen) was my introduction to Swiss food.

After a degree in Humanities and training to be a pastry chef, I moved to Switzerland in 2010. In 2017, we traded city life for the country, and left Bern for the rolling hills of the Emmental.

This is my experience cooking and baking in Switzerland, trying regional recipes, family favourites, retro dishes, and exploring the curious food products that can only be found in this tiny alpine land. Swiss cuisine is so much more than cheese and chocolate. Every region protects and celebrates its own contribution to the Swiss culinary canon, which for such a small country is incredibly large and diverse.

Lots of help and guidance on authenticity comes from my Swiss husband Sam, raised in Schüpfheim, whose precision and cleanliness in the kitchen puts me to shame.

The practical advice given here comes from my training in baking and pastry, work experience in different bakeries and restaurants and, most often, my experience cooking and baking in my own Swiss kitchen.