Stefan Senfter

Straight air from international snowboard contests into a slow-food inn. Anyone who stops at the Mountain restaurant Waldruhe high above Sexten will certainly not be disappointed. Panoramic views of the highest quality. A farmstead over 500 years old. Pure idyll. At first glance, one might expect a rosy-cheeked host who has been serving the traditional Brettljause for half a century or more, always with the same casual joke. And then the second look. A Slow Food seal at the entrance. Already a rarity in South Tyrol – and a sign that both cuisine and chef are committed to the principle of “good, clean and fair”. Stefan is a former professional snowboarder. Someone who has travelled widely and made a name for himself beyond national borders as a freestyle snowboarder. “Lo Speck” – a term well known in the scene, probably derived from his surname and its association with the famous South Tyrolean speck brand. Years spent travelling the world, sponsored by Burton Snowboards, competing in international contests, wild parties. “An exciting, very cool time,” he says today with his characteristic grin. Today, a keen eye can spot traces of both worlds in his Waldruhe. Stefan wearing a chef’s hat at the stove, his wife Monica in service, his grandmother’s recipes polished and reinterpreted. In the old Swiss pine parlour, hiking tourists sit alongside slow-food gourmets and former snowboard colleagues. And then there are days when the slopes call. Then the cooking spoon is set aside and the snowboard brought up from the cellar… then it’s time: Stefan “lo Speck” Senfter is back!