Zizi Hattab: the career changer and her "KLE"

First programming code, then kitchen code

Zineb "Zizi" Hattab is the most fascinating newcomer to the Zurich restaurant scene. She caused quite a stir with her vegan restaurant "KLE", which she opened at the beginning of 2020. GaultMillau awarded the ambitious chef 14 points at the start – a rare feat. Zizi’s CV is just as unique as she is: Her family moved from Morocco to Spain in the 1980s and Zizi grew up in Barcelona. After studying mechanical engineering, she initially worked as a software engineer.

After completing her bachelor’s degree, Zizi moved to Switzerland with her husband, also an engineer. Living in Oberriet SG, she worked in Liechtenstein programming interface software for automated factories. "At some point, I asked myself whether I wanted to do this for the rest of my life." Her answer: "That would have been too comfortable."

Cooking with the best in the world

Fueled by her hunger for new challenges, Zizi began cooking – first for friends, later in the kitchens of Europe’s best chefs. In 2013, she did internships with Andreas Caminada, Massimo Bottura, the Roca brothers and Josean Alija. Her second career took off.

A profession that demands passion

The first few years in top kitchens were a challenge: "The start was really tough, sometimes it was a nightmare to work in big top kitchens," says Zizi. Born in Spain, she first had to learn the rules and procedures, lived in cramped flats with younger trainees and was often pushed to her limits.

Nevertheless, she discovered her passion for cooking during this time. It is a profession that can only be pursued with a great deal of passion, which sets it apart from many other jobs. "I couldn’t program software for 18 hours, but I can easily stand in the kitchen for 18 hours at a time," she says.

From "Schloss Schauenstein" to New York

After returning to Andreas Caminada at "Schloss Schauenstein", where she primarily developed new dishes and worked in the patisserie, Zizi moved to New York with her husband in 2017. She took on a leading role at star chef Enrique Olvera’s renowned restaurant "Cosme".

For Zizi, this was her "masterclass in cooking", as she sums it up. "We had 300 guests a day, but sometimes a member of staff would suddenly disappear, the dishwasher would come to work drunk or the kitchen would be ankle-deep in water just before service." These intense experiences trained her and brought her to the pinnacle of being a chef.

From the Big Apple back to Switzerland

Even during her time in New York, Zizi knew that she wanted to run her own restaurant in Switzerland. The mindset of the people in the country matches her own: "I’m a trusting person and I don’t like it when people take advantage of that. That’s why the Swiss mentality suits me well." In Zurich, she finally found a 200-year-old house in the Wiedikon neighborhood and opened her restaurant "KLE" there.

"Vegetables are the future"

Zizi Hattab decided in favor of plant-based cuisine – a conviction that stems from her own vegan lifestyle. Her dishes are a symbiosis of her own Moroccan culinary roots, Mexican influences and Swiss ingredients.

For example, she combines wild broccoli with a mole sauce made from 25 ingredients, including smoked chilies from Weggis, or serves peanut matcha sauce on corn tostadas with peas and flowers. Her desserts, such as a chocolate mousse made from Felchlin cocoa and soya chantilly, are a testament to her creativity and precision. "Cooking vegan means working with what you have. And not thinking about what you don’t have," she explains her principle.

Logic meets passion

Zizi Hattab embodies a rare combination of passionate dedication to cooking and the analytical mindset of an engineer. An impressive fusion.