Adorable Story #46: An interview with Nina Glattfelder
A love story with high-altitude caviar
“I’d do anything for caviar and probably did.”
—Henry Kissinger
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year from Milan!
We recently discovered a photo that Slim Aarons took in 1989 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, of a man wearing a fur and eating caviar surrounded by tins of caviar and bottles of vodka and champagne, all kept duly refrigerated under the cristalline Swiss snow.
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Since quite some time has passed since this photo was taken, our source was not able to trace who the photographed man was, but thanks to the power of the Internet, almost instantaneously we found that out after we posted it: the classy “man in fur” is none other that Tazi Glattfelder, the late founder of the Glattfelder shop in the center of St. Moritz, specialized in caviar, coffee & tea.
For this week, we are lucky enough to have his daughter, Nina Glattfelder, as our special guest for this Adorable Story, and we could not wait to share with all of you the interview below.
Dear Nina, I am Alberto and I curate the
account since 2018: I recently came upon the photo of your father Tazi, taken by Slim Aarons in 1989 and I would like to know more about him and his business endeavours.Alberto: When did he start his caviar business in St. Moritz?
Nina Glattfelder: Hi Alberto, thanks for having me!
Originally Tazi’s father started the business in 1931, but it was, at first, a colonial goods store that had a huge variety of commodities. Tazi himself specialised the business in 1974 to three main products: Coffee, Tea, and Caviar.
A: How did he start the caviar business in the middle of the Alps?
N: Well, where the shop is based, St. Moritz, has always been the perfect destination for luxury products, international clients, and discerning customers. The commitment to specialise and focus on high quality, luxury products like caviar made sense. This made the decision to source only the best caviar on the market, at the time Iranian Caviar from the Caspian Sea, a natural choice.
A: Do you recall how he came to meet Slim Aarons?
N: Unfortunately we don’t know the background or how my father came to meet him. In fact the beautiful photo taken by Slim Aarons, was one I had never seen before! Our entire family was so amazed to see the photo for the first time when it was posted. Yet it completely embodied who he was, a larger than life figure who we miss dearly.
A: Any other stories about your father that you would like to share with our readers?
N: One memory that immediately comes to mind was his passion for flying and how he would deliver caviar personally to clients all around Europe from Milan to Geneva to the South of France. Tazi was the most big hearted, generous person you could imagine.
A: I personally love caviar (Ossetra and Siberian being my personal favorites): how did he decide to grow his own caviar and not resell other brands?
N: With our focus on the absolute best quality and process, it was never a question that we would sell other brands. Also at the time there were no Caviar brands so to speak, therefore Tazi stepped up to the plate and became the sole importer of Iranian Caviar into Switzerland.
A: What makes your Caviar special?
N: Our options for Caviar are great. Since 2003, we have specialised in Chinese farmed caviar, such as China Imperial, Imperial Golden, and Beluga. We also sell two German varieties: Golden Osciètre and Baeri. What sets us apart is our passion and dedication to quality. Every single tin of caviar is meticulously tasted and approved by me. If it’s not perfect, I don’t sell it.
A: Do you have any personal favorite recipes you would recommend to our readers?
N: Good caviar needs very little to be a delight, however there are a few recipes to elevate the flavour immensely. The classic combination is Blinis with Caviar, served with Crème Fraiche.
N: Another more unique recipe we love actually comes from one of our clients, a restaurant in St. Moritz named Dal Mulin, where they have a dish named the ‘Nina G’. It consists of a crispy potato pancake, a thin layer of beef tartare, a layer of Crème Fraiche, topped with our Golden Osciètre Caviar. The combination works perfectly.
Thank you for having me, and best wishes from the snowy St. Moritz!
A: Thank you, Nina, and see you in St. Moritz in March!
“One can be unhappy before eating caviar, even after, but at least not during.”
— Irvin Kristol
One more thing…
Le Bernardin’s Salmon-Caviar Croque-Monsieur
If all this chatting about caviar made you hungry, we have added the following quick & delicious recipe straight from New York City’s legendary Le Bernardin, one of the world’s top seafood restaurants:
INGREDIENTS (Serves 2 to 4, approx 400 cal. pp)
4 slices fine-textured brioche or white bread, crusts removed
About 1½ ounces (40g) Swiss Gruyère cheese, sliced paper thin
1 ounce (30g) sturgeon caviar
2 to 4 slices smoked Atlantic or Norwegian salmon
2 tablespoons clarified butter
PREPARATION
Step 1
Begin by laying out the slices of bread on a flat surface. Place a layer of Gruyère cheese onto two slices, making sure it's evenly spread out. Then, gently add a layer of caviar on top of the cheese, leaving a small margin around the edges. Next, take pieces of smoked salmon, cut them to match the size of the bread precisely, and lay them over the caviar. Finish by placing the remaining slices of bread on top to form sandwiches.
Step 2
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a nonstick pan over a medium flame. Carefully place the sandwiches in the pan and lightly press them with a spatula while cooking, making sure the caviar stays inside. Fry until one side is golden brown. Then, add the rest of
the butter to the skillet, flip the sandwiches, and continue to fry until the other side is nicely browned. Once done, move the sandwiches onto a chopping board, cut each into four equal pieces, and serve.
Enjoy!
Alberto @
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