What connects a pastor, a jazz festival director, and a village chef?

On paper, not much. And yet, as we compiled this issue, a thread quietly began to emerge – one that stitched its way through our profiles of Marianne Kellenberger, Mathieu Jaton, and Michael Burri. That thread? Passion and commitment.

You’ll meet Marianne in our profile interview, a woman who spent years working in banking before fulfilling a childhood dream: to become a pastor. With humility and resolve, she learned Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, went back to school, and quietly carved out a new future – one grounded in compassion, purpose, and presence. Her story is one of extraordinary perseverance, though she’d never call it that herself.

Then there’s Mathieu Jaton, who has been at the helm of the Montreux Jazz Festival for more than two decades. He’s not one for the spotlight – he prefers the backstage pulse of teamwork and the quiet miracle of 2500 people coming together to create something ephemeral and unforgettable. His story is about trust, scale, and the human magic behind worldclass performance.

And finally, just up the road from the church in Rougemont, young chef Michael Burri is tending to something else entirely: the slow rebirth of a village inn. With dishes that echo Sundays at his grandmother’s table, Burri isn’t chasing trends. He’s reviving time itself – through food, warmth, and a deep respect for the people who live here. It’s a quiet kind of leadership, built on memory and care.

Different paths, different callings – but a shared, steady heartbeat.

As summer begins to unfold and Gstaad once again becomes the meeting point of local life and international energy, this issue is a gentle reminder that passion and commitment still count for something. They may not always be loud, and they may not make headlines, but they are, quite often, the reason things work, the reason places feel alive.

Enjoy the read.

Jeanette Wichmann
Editor in Chief

Marianne Klenneberger was photographed by Tabeu Reusser