During my recent visit to Zermatt I caught up with Gee, the owner of three well known establishments in the town called Snowboat, Gee’s Bar & Brasserie and The Cuckoo Club.
I wanted to find out more on how Gee found his way to Zermatt and most importantly why he chose to stay and set up three very successful bars in resort. Take a read of this fascinating blog….
Tell us a bit of information about yourself firstly and how you came to settle in Zermatt?
Gee: I grew up in Holland. I studied Civil Engineering after school so bridges, roads etc. but then moved into sales. I worked for the yellow pages and then moved into medical sales. It was fun but not me…
So how did you find your way to a ski resort in Switzerland?
Gee: I was away in Amsterdam on holiday, the company I worked for at the time was closed for Christmas and New Year. The friends I was with were heading onto Zermatt to do a ski season so I thought why not join them? I had two weeks off anyway. During my five day stay we went to this Christmas party full of people; resort managers, bartenders, cleaners, all different characters and nationalities and I had a fantastic time.
The next morning I woke up feeling boxed in. I realised my life in Holland wasn’t what I wanted, it was so materialistic you know who has the best car, the newest television, the nicest clothes and so on. So I rang my sister and told her I was putting my house up for sale. She said I was insane but my mind was already made up. I quit my job over the phone and never looked back!
Wow, so you arrived into resort spontaneously and decided to stay! No accommodation and no job?
Gee: Pretty much. After a few days of asking around for job opportunities, the owner of the place opposite where I was staying, Hotel Post, offered me a job standing at the guard rope for their New Year’s Eve party. I was told to arrive at a certain time in a full suit with a tie ready to work. I went away thinking okay so there’s only one shop open in resort…Hugo Boss…so I had to walk in there and buy this expensive suit. My first salary came to half of the money the suit cost. It took me two months wages to pay it off, but it gave me the job opportunity I needed. I was the most fancy looking guard rope guy around!
I rented a room from the Hotel and stayed there. One day I was asked to do bartending for them. All I knew was Heineken beer and Jack Daniels with coke. I learnt as much as I could and moved onto the Broken Bar in the Hotel Post. I stayed there for two years but wanted a management job really. I was told I couldn’t because I hadn’t been to Hotel school. I moved onto working at Schneewittchen under the Buffalo Pub and after one year they asked me and an English guy to run it. We re-branded it the Papperla Pub. From there I moved to the Snowboat!
So Snowboat was your first solo project, but it was already here in Zermatt when you arrived?
Gee: Yeah it was already there, it was built in 2007 and I took over in 2010. At the time it was a little coffee bar, but my ambition wasn’t to sell coffee and cake to old ladies! I’d get bored for sure. I told my Wife I want a cocktail bar but had no clue about cocktails so flew to London and did a week course.
At first Snowboat was just an Après Ski/Cocktail bar, but we worked together to expand downstairs into a restaurant. One evening the owner of the Italian place in town, Grampi’s, was eating in our restaurant. There was a bar downstairs to the Italian at the time and he wasn’t really happy with it. He said to me “Gee I’ve seen you here for the last 10 years after you moved to Zermatt, you have a baby now, you are established…are you interested in taking it over for me?” Well it’s on the main high street in a prime location, why not?! It took a year of discussions and planning and then at first we fashioned a pop up bar. In September 2014 we did the rebuild and made Gee’s into what it is now.
So you took on Gee’s and then moved further downstairs into the Cuckoo Club?
Gee: The club downstairs used to be called The Cave and it was primarily for Italian and Portuguese workers, young kids and illegal fighting! A horrible place. So we made a conscious effort to clear it out and start again, rebranded completely and it’s done really well.
We have the bar area and dance floor, but also the cigar lounge which everyone loves. In Switzerland plenty of Women smoke cigars so it sees a good mixture of men and women. We are the ultimate cigar smoking, chocolate tasting, and cocktail making bar!
The owner before me built the establishment in 1992 actually into the rock face. He had to blow the area out with dynamite. We’ve made a feature out of the face with spotlights and when the snow is melting up in the town you can see water running down the rock face into the ground. A Natural waterfall!
Both Gee’s and Cuckoo Club have a really unique feel to them, what gave you the idea in terms of the interior design and styling? It reminds me of Ronnie Scott’s in London!
Gee: My Wife is English and I’m from Holland. Both Countries are known for their colonies so we wanted to create something quite colonial between England and Holland. For example with the shutters on the windows, the panelled ceiling and fancy palm trees which is all typical colonial style.
We also spent a lot of money on a state of the art sound system to give different vibes if we want to go big like an Ibiza club we can do, or when playing live music and want the sound to be more intimate.
You have some fantastic names for your cocktails such as “Paper Planes” and “The Stolen Swizzle” where do you get your inspiration for the cocktail menu?
Gee: My Wife and I are a team and work very well together, learning as much as we can about the tonics, syrups and spirits. We first created the cocktail bar in Snowboat, but realised when expanding onto a main street, it’s much easier to sell cocktails. We moved the cocktail bar element more towards Gee’s and made the Snowboat a bit more classical, although still only premium spirits. Our standard house vodka is Belvedere and our house Champagne is Greno so you can see from our perspective it’s very important to keep things of a certain level.
Aside from the cocktails, of course the bars are known for their fantastic après and live music, tell us a little about what goes on?
Gee: We have between 14-18 band members performing between Snowboat, Gee’s and Cuckoo Club depending on the time of season. We have 10pm sessions every night and the musicians are known in resort, they play at various bars and clubs. They mix themselves up and create new bands so it is more like unplugged jam sessions than a set performance which works great. It keeps things fresh.
The food looks delicious for both Snowboat’s restaurant and the more relaxed dining experience in Gees bar & brasserie. How did you create the menus for each?
Gee: Snowboat is set up to be more gastro pub food so gourmet burgers, fajitas etc. Our fish of the day is freshly brought in from Billingsgate Market in London. Gee’s is more focused around the cocktails and live music, if you get slightly hungry whilst enjoying yourself there is the tapas menu.
People eat so well on the mountains they don’t necessarily want a big meal for dinner, especially when partying! It is still gourmet food but in little portions served like high tea and can be shared between friends.
What is your favourite time of year to enjoy Zermatt?
Gee: March/April is my favourite time of the year. The days are longer, the snow gets springy and we still get powder, so definitely March and April. Although I often look like a tomato! My 3 year old daughter is skiing fluidly but wants to try snowboarding so were doing that now as the crowds are dying down.
Summer skiing is good for the worldwide teams and high altitude training etc. It’s not something I personally do a lot but it’s amazing that you can go up and ski in the morning during summer and come down into resort and sunbathe for the afternoon.
October/November is also cool for early snow and you get to test all the new skis and snowboards for the ski shops. Christmas and New Year is just too busy, but then again a lot of the regular guests come at this time and don’t bring their skis at all! They just come for the ambiance, the resort is alive and the parties are very good. They eat, drink and have fun! I will see them again in March or April when they come back to enjoy skiing.
Have you got any further plans for expansion of your empire?
Gee: Before Zermatt, I had a dream to set up a bar in a winter resort and a summer resort. I told my family I wanted them both before the age of 30. My winter bar in Zermatt I got when I was 30, but there is one place I have never been to that I am interested in setting up a summer bar and that’s Madagascar.
That is a huge contrast to Zermatt, why Madagascar?
It’s one hour time difference from here, so I can do business between countries. It’s the fourth biggest Island in the World and has four different climates, oceans that come together and nature that doesn’t exist anywhere else. 90 hidden airports and very international, Africans, French, Chinese and English. I’d like to open an Eco resort…
I have to ask, I hope your plans include a cocktail bar?
Gee: Of course! It would have to be a pretty special place to match Zermatt though. I see Zermatt as Disneyland for Adults. (A lady then proceeds to fall off her chair after one too many cocktails) Gee simply replies with “and that’s what happens in Disneyland for adults”!
I have fallen in love with Zermatt. I’m not sure whether it’s the lack of cars, but it seems to set the pace for the resort and people. Everyone is very friendly and relaxed. Despite it being known as one of the most exclusive ski resorts in the World, it certainly doesn’t feel pretentious to me. And the fact that you choose to live here I guess means that you too have a love for Zermatt……so, why is it such a special place?
Gee: Zermatt holds its quality and uniqueness. You can’t drive your car into this resort and show off. There’s no point in putting your Bentley keys on the table because people will laugh! Yes we have a Bogner outlet and you can buy your expensive ski outfit, but anyone can go into the shop. You have the opportunity to rent the most expensive skis rather than buy them. There is no showing off here like other resorts. You can fly in by helicopter or private plane, but nobody will see you arrive.
The other thing I love are the mountain restaurants, there is some truly amazing food on the mountains! And not just one or two I’m talking around 12 extremely good restaurants with amazing food and great wine, good service and spectacular views of the Matterhorn. If you’ve had enough of it go and ski Italy, you can be over there by midday. Everything is just so accessible.
Zermatt is not a built up ski resort, it’s not man made, it created itself. It is understated and yet has so much history. It’s just unlike any other resort. It is full of different nationalities, cultures and classes and everyone comes together as one.
A huge thanks to Gee for taking the time to speak with us! <3
If Gee’s blog isn’t enough to persuade you to visit Zermatt, why not give the office a call and speak to me personally following my trip to the resort? I too absolutely fell in love with the place and definitely agree it is somewhere all skiers must visit.
Add it to your bucket list if it isn’t on there already and contact Ski in Luxury for your perfect Luxury Ski Chalet in Zermatt!
