Portrait: Chef de Service Kilian

As Chef de Service, Kilian Büchel combines his organisational talent with his passion for boating.

As a "Rheintaler", Kilian is greeted by regular guests on the Lake Zug boats. In fact, he commutes almost daily from the St. Gallen Rhine Valley to Lake Zug, where he is in his third season as Chef de Service on the ships. It's a long journey, but "shipping is my passion," he says.

Enthusiasm for service on the water
The 39-year-old has often travelled on the water in his private life. "Water calms me down and energises me. You can slow down a bit." He came across Lake Zug on his birthday four years ago: He met Suzana and Köbi Fahrni from Gastronautic on a private trip - and was offered a job. A year later, he moved from the Untersee and Rhine shipping company to Central Switzerland.

What he loves is the variety. "The contact with guests, the responsibility, the variety - from daily cruises to banquets." His favourite part is the sunset cruise: "The beautiful sunset, the golden glitter of the water over a cosy meal."

The calm organiser
How does he see himself as a host? He is quiet, present without being loud. "But the occasional joke is part of the job." A lot happens in the background: Kilian manages the service staff, keeps an overview - and is there for the guests. Even when things get hectic, for example at lunchtime. "We're the only 'pub' where so many people come in at once," says the man from eastern Switzerland. Then he takes it step by step and keeps a cool head. "There's strength in calm." This calmness is often transferred to the guests.

Organisation suits him, and not just on the boat. In the St. Gallen Rhine Valley in Altstätten, he also runs a health and gourmet shop and, together with his business partner, is the general agent for ultrasonic toothbrushes. He also organises health fairs and even knitting trips for groups - knitting is his mother's passion. Where does he get his energy from? "I don't know myself," he smiles. "It's probably the passion."

When everything around him is happening at the same time, Kilian remains the calm organiser. A man from the Rhine Valley who has arrived – with the guests, on the boat, on Lake Zug.