Chef Joaquin Rodriguez

Private Chef in Engelberg

Private chef with more than 25 years of international professional experience, specialising in Mediterranean cooking based on seasonal produce, local sourcing and simplicity.

My cooking starts with the ingredient: where it comes from, how it has been grown, raised or produced, and when it is at its best. I prioritise seasonal ingredients, local markets and trusted producers whenever they offer the right quality. Organic production is an important part of my sourcing criteria, alongside responsible, traceable producers who work with minimal intervention.

My approach is simple: few ingredients, carefully chosen, with technique used to support the product rather than disguise it. I cook for the people in front of me, adapting each menu to their tastes, dietary needs and the rhythm of their stay. Fish, seafood, meat, eggs, vegetables, legumes, broths and fermented foods all have a place in my cooking.

Available for private lunches and dinners, villas, full-day services, multi-day stays, families, selected groups and retreats in Spain and Switzerland, subject to availability. I take care of menu planning, shopping, cooking in the residence, the agreed table service and a complete kitchen reset.

For me, cooking is...

Choosing the right product, treating it with restraint and giving people back the time to enjoy the table.

I learned to cook at...

“I grew up learning in my father’s kitchen, a chef and trainer of chefs at the C.D.T., who inspired my career.”

A cooking secret...

Buy better and interfere less: season, origin and timing matter more than unnecessary complication.

My menus

SOUTHERN ITALY — Generous Italian Table

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Hot gnocco fritto — mortadella · spiced pear · black pepper

Caponata tartlet — pine nut · raisin · basil

FIRST COURSE

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Amberjack crudo — crisp fennel · caper · bitter orange

Paccheri with white cuttlefish ragù — roasted tomato · parsley

MAIN COURSE

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Crisp porchetta to share — bitter leaves · roasted grapes · fennel mustard. Carved at the table

Aubergine parmigiana — smoked tomato · provolone · basil

DESSERT

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Mascarpone affogato — espresso · bitter chocolate

Lemon delizia — extra virgin olive oil · toasted almond

SALT / SEA — Mediterranean Coast

STARTER

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Thin toast of cured sardine — grated tomato · piparra

Oyster — green apple · cucumber · fennel oil

FIRST COURSE

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Bluefin tuna tartare — grilled peach · black olive · Jerez

Scallop — fresh peas · brown butter · mint

MAIN COURSE

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Roasted turbot — confit sweet potato and potato · clams · jus from its bones

Light monkfish suquet — cuttlefish · red prawn · tender garrofón · almond picada

DESSERT

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Frozen lemon — almond cream · extra virgin olive oil · sea salt

Roasted pineapple — lime · mint · coconut

AFTER SWIM — Relaxed Coastal Lunch

STARTER

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Crisp courgette flower — ricotta · anchovy · lemon

Cherry gazpacho — ripe tomato · basil oil

FIRST COURSE

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Stracciatella — grilled peach · pistachio · basil

White crab — avocado · cucumber · lime

MAIN COURSE

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Whole grilled gilt-head bream — lemon · oregano · extra virgin olive oil · wild greens

Chicken al mattone — roasted grapes · fennel · salsa verde

DESSERT

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Very cold melon — fresh almond · lime · mint

Chocolate and raspberry — toasted hazelnut · sea salt

SOCARRAT — Paella at the Centre of the Table

STARTER

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Crisp socarrat — tuna belly · piparra

Clam opened to order — saffron · lemon · parsley

FIRST COURSE

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Grilled squid — sweet roasted onion · ink · parsley

Marinated mackerel — bitter orange · pickled fennel · parsley

MAIN COURSE

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Red prawn and cuttlefish rice — ñora

Rabbit and garrofón rice — red pepper · rosemary

DESSERT

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Jijona turrón parfait — lemon thyme · sea salt

Burnt-orange crema catalana — almond biscuit

MARKET / SEASON — Late Summer

STARTER

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Salt-cod fritter — roasted garlic · lemon

Tomato tartare — Cantabrian anchovy · caper · extra virgin olive oil

FIRST COURSE

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Confit artichoke — cured egg yolk · hazelnut · vegetable jus

Leek over fire — toasted romesco · fresh herbs

MAIN COURSE

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Roasted corvina — fennel · courgette · saffron sauce

Guinea fowl — fresh fig · grilled chicory · roasting juices

DESSERT

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Late peach over the grill — goat's milk · fresh almond · verbena

Fine lemon tart — extra virgin olive oil · milk ice cream

TAPAS NOW — Contemporary Spanish Table

STARTER

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Crisp Iberian-pork gyoza — mango vinaigrette

Iberian bikini — Jamón Ibérico · Mahón · roasted tomato

FIRST COURSE

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Crisp aubergine — sobrasada · rosemary honey · mint

Charred piquillo pepper — salt-cod brandade · toasted garlic

MAIN COURSE

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Iberian presa — celeriac · green apple · Jerez jus

Glazed free-range chicken — black garlic · roasted onion · thyme

DESSERT

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Deeply caramelised torrija — vanilla · orange peel

Creamy sheep's-cheese cake — honey · lemon

EMBERS — Cooking Over Fire

STARTER

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Sweet onion cooked whole in the embers — Jerez butter · caper

Glazed sweetbread — pickled onion · thyme

FIRST COURSE

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Roasted cabbage — brown butter · hazelnut · meat jus

Pumpkin over fire — goat's cheese · sage · toasted seeds

MAIN COURSE

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Roasted duck — spiced carrot · braised endive · bitter orange

Aged beef loin — embered celeriac · shallot · red-wine jus

DESSERT

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Apple over fire — cinnamon · brown butter · milk ice cream

Caramelised banana — dark chocolate · hazelnut

ONE NIGHT ONLY — September Tasting Menu

STARTER

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Red-prawn tartlet — roasted tomato · saffron

Aged-beef tartare — caper · mustard · potato soufflé

FIRST COURSE

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Young leek — mussel · saffron

Red mullet — burnt red pepper · jus from its heads

MAIN COURSE

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Lamb — aubergine over flame · fresh pomegranate · rosemary

Veal loin — roasted ceps · black garlic · shallot jus

DESSERT

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Black fig — goat's milk · walnut · thyme

Dark chocolate — rosemary · extra virgin olive oil · sea salt

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Chef Joaquin's reviews

4.4

•

11 services

Joaquin and his partner did an amazing job serving 19 very picky eaters at once, and everyone loved the food. We will definitly be using their service again!

Francisco nos brindó una noche fantástica con un menú largo que dio hasta para que cenáramos el día siguiente otra vez, su buena actitud y una cercanía que amenizó la noche. De hecho, ¡estuvimos hasta más rato con el menú y la cena porque nos pusimos a hablar de otros temas! La cena buenísima, destacando sobre todo las gyozas con vinagreta de mango y la hamburguesa de wagyu. Repetiremos seguro.

Nos entrevistamos previamente para el menú y entendió el concepto que buscábamos, acertó plenamente. Encontramos al chef Francisco puntual, discreto, educado y muy agradable, respecto al apartado profesional debo decir que me resultó muy organizado y limpio en todo momento. Su compañera Verónica que ejerció de camarera y pinche, siguió la línea de Francisco y nos sirvió los platos con profesionalidad y simpatía. Respecto a la cena, ingredientes de calidad, raciones muy generosas y sabores exquisitos. De repetir, no tendría dudas en dirigirme como primera opción en Francisco y Verónica.