As Chef

In 1981 Peter started his career as Chef with his apprenticeship in the excellent countryside restaurant «Krone Wetzikon». He wrote his first cookbook during his apprenticeship. The book was published right after he successfully finished it.

Already in the second year of his apprenticeship, he managed to receive his first job for after apprenticeship at the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zürich, with the grand old chef Paul Spuhler. At the Dolder he worked in various stations in the kitchen and learned the Classic French Grand Hotel Cuisine.

Peter planned his career year by year. His declared aim was to become Hotel Director within ten years. He planned his stations as cook, wanted to attend the hospitality school (Schweizerische Hotelfachschule), to be trained in all courses, learn many languages and be ready to lead a hotel before reaching 30 years of age.

However, the success of his first book changed everything. Peter remained in the kitchen and started working in the French part of Switzerland at Chez Norbert, in Saint-Blaise, near Neuchâtel.

Norbert Zijören was a famous Chef for Nouvelle Cuisine at that time, and Peter enjoyed seeing the different cuisines
and styles that he found here.

Peter Bührer then returned to Zürich and started to work with Agnes Amberg as Chef Garde-Manger. He was responsible for the appetizers and the cold cuisine. Besides his job, he was strongly involved in the making of Agnes Amberg’s Cookbooks.

In the mist of his early career, Peter was asked to become a Private Chef, for Max Frey, the owner of Jean Frey Verlag. Max Frey, known as Gourmet, had private chefs in all of his estates all over the world, on his castle, yacht, city penthouses and mountain house.

Peter accepted, and Max Frey’s estate in St. Moritz and its culinary well being was then cared for by none other than Peter.

Later, Peter returned to Agnes Amberg, first as Sous-Chef, than as Chef where a very successful collaboration started. The Restaurant gained 3 points, from 14 to 17 with Gault & Millau, and having 1 Michelin Star.

Extract from «Kritik des Guide Schweiz GaultMillau 1987» and other reviews see right side pictures.

Peter Bührer left Agnes Amberg in 1988 to work with Eckart Witzigmann in Munich, one of the top three Chefs of the Century at the legendary Restaurant Aubergine. Later he travelled around and has been Guest Chef with many celebrities and politicians, such as Ed Koch, the Mayor of New York City or at the World Expo in Brisbane, Australia and in Tokyo, Japan.

Peter was than planning to open his own restaurant. The Restaurant Rebe in Zürich, was one of the top Restaurants in the eighties. It closed for renovation, and Peter Bührer was asked by the new owners to define a new modern restaurant concept. He renamed the restaurant into Oscar’s.

Appropriately located in Zürich’s famous Seefeld area, and named after the great Oscar Tschirky (Waldorf Astoria), the Restaurant started as a tremendous success but unfortunately, after 1½ years, Peter decided to close the restaurant because of massive long term street and infrastructure construction works around the restaurant location.

During his active career as a Chef, Peter Bührer did already a lot of consultancy work and was as Guest Chef in famous Restaurants and Hotels around the World. This inspired him to increase the activities in this area.