Team

Michael Grässler is responsible for the kitchen, having been head chef at LAUCH since its opening in 2021. His career previously took him to London, where he worked at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant "The Ledbury," as well as at the one-Michelin-starred "Chez Bruce." Back in Switzerland, he spent several years as head chef at the Landhotel "Hirschen" in Erlinsbach, earning 15 Gault & Millau points. This experience forms the basis of his current work at LAUCH: a focused, seasonal, and creative cuisine that showcases the potential of vegan fine dining.

Kitchen: Michael Grässler (Küchenchef), Gilbert Engelhard, Michel, Ismael, Maydha, Jana
Restaurant: Bettina Larghi, Milena Maceda (Restaurantleitung), Theresa, Christoph, Nina, Christina, Lena

How it all started: In September 2021, the team from "Zum goldenen Fass" opened the restaurant LAUCH, Basel's first purely vegetarian and vegan pop-up restaurant. After the successful interim period at the first location near the barracks, a new, permanent home was found for LAUCH. Since May 2025, we have been located in the former Platanenhof with its beautiful garden in Kleinhüningen (Klybeckstrasse 241). Here, we cook purely plant-based (vegan) cuisine of the highest quality.

Awards / Press

2025 Basler Zeitung

2025 NZZ Bellvue

2024 Falstaff plant based Restaurant des Jahres 

2023 Gault Millau POP