Gourmetbox

Gourmetbox is a catering company in Bern, run by Gourmetbox GmbH from Freiburgstrasse 453, that caters weddings, birthdays, funerals and company events, sells ready-to-cook menu boxes and apéro boxes, and operates its own event space, the Kulinarium. The catering page says the business builds on 15 years of experience in catering, and the company was founded by Susanne and Martin Schanz, both food engineers.

Who runs it

The Kulinarium page describes the team as excellent chefs, a creative events team and the two founders, "Lebensmittel-Ingenieuren" (food engineers), which the company presents as a deep base of specialist knowledge. Susanne Schanz is named as CEO and co-owner, and is quoted: "Unser Kulinarium ist ein Ort von und für Genussmenschen" (our Kulinarium is a place by and for people who love to eat). The contact person for the venue is Barbara Buono, event organizer, whose line on the page is an invitation to come by and be shown the Kulinarium in person.

The homepage wedding section speaks of experienced event managers who look after the couple personally so the two of them can enjoy the day. It promises everything from the venue through the festive apéro to a creative wedding menu, with good food, drinks, friendly service and, if the couple wants it, music and dancing "bis zum Morgengrauen" (until dawn).

How a wedding is planned

The catering page sets out the process in three steps. First comes advice: the team listens, clarifies the key questions and, if the couple has no venue yet, can suggest a suitable one. The page notes that with the venue settled, many other questions answer themselves. Second, the couple and the team choose a catering concept together, for example a barbecue, a banquet or a finger-food apéro. The range goes from ready-arranged apéro platters to individual made-to-measure work, and the company says its job is to offer the best solution for the budget the client sets. Third is delivery, where Gourmetbox takes over the organization of the celebration with its event managers.

The page adds a detail that is unusual on a caterer's site: the company says it has built a system for learning from every mistake and feeding that back into the planning of the next event. For that reason it often proposes concrete concepts with a defined price, duration and format.

Sourcing

Gourmetbox describes its aim as ecological, regional, seasonal, humane and excellent cooking, and then names its suppliers. Meat comes in most cases from Swiss suckler-cow farming. Instead of sea fish it prefers freshwater fish from the Rubigen fish farm in canton Bern. Bread comes from the Aengelibeck, described as the organic baker from the Bern market, cheese from JuMi in Stettlen, and vegetables from the Berner Seeland. As an example of a climate-friendly swap, the page offers a vegan alternative made from sweet potato in place of Irish salmon.

The Kulinarium

The Kulinarium is where, as the page puts it, the heart of the company's kitchen beats. Its key facts, as the venue page lists them:

• Address: Freiburgstrasse 453, 3018 Bern
• Guests: 35 to 200
• Available all year
• Public transport: bus stop Chueweid, line 31, directly in front of the venue
• Parking: about 30 spaces

The venue is one large guest room of about 320 m2 with a bar. A curtain can divide off a separate room of about 60 m2. A direct door leads onto a roof terrace of over 200 m2 with a view over urban Bern. Since 2023 there is a fully equipped disco area with fog machine, disco ball, lighting and sound, and a disco package is offered from CHF 850. The walls carry artworks by Wölf Ziegelmüller, which cannot be moved. Every event has the whole space to itself: the page says everything is at the client's exclusive disposal.

The Kulinarium can only be booked together with a Gourmetbox food offer. Room hire for evening events is CHF 1200 up to 60 people and CHF 600 up to 80 people; above 80 people the rent is, in the page's words, generally included. A date can be held provisionally and without obligation for up to 2 weeks, after which the company may give it to someone else.

Other practical points from the venue page. Children are welcome: under 6 eat free, 6 to 12 pay half the adult price, and from 12 the regular price applies. A nanny who plays with the children and reads stories can be added at CHF 55 per hour. Couples may bring their own wine on special request; it is delivered in advance, chilled by the team and set aside for collection afterward, and a corkage fee is charged on request. All other drinks come from Gourmetbox. Table decoration comes from a choice of offers, and the company works with the florist Blumen Maarsen. The team knows various musicians and performers personally and will pass on contacts, and the house is open to any artist the couple books. An outdoor escape game using augmented reality can be booked for groups of up to 200.

Tasting and cancellation

Under the heading of tasting and wine tasting (Probeessen / Weindegustation), the page suggests ordering a seasonal menu as a Gourmetbox to cook at home, and the whole wine list can be delivered to the home too.

Cancelling the venue always costs CHF 200 plus any costs already incurred. For dates in high season (June to September, November and December), lost rent of at most CHF 1200 can be charged if the date cannot be rebooked and the cancellation comes less than 8 weeks before the event. The rest is in the company's general terms, which it will send as a PDF.

Other venues and references

The navigation lists further venues besides the Kulinarium: Sensi-Eventlokal, Gartenhaus Wyss, Eventfabrik Bern, and a page of partner venues. The references include a wedding at the Kulinarium and a BMW anniversary event in Bern with 1000 guests.

What the site leaves open

The catering, home and venue pages publish no per-person price for a wedding menu, apéro or buffet; the offer is built after the first conversation. The site is in German and does not say whether planning can be done in English. Couples coming from abroad would also want to ask how far outside Bern the team caters, and what is included in the service at a venue other than the Kulinarium.

Who it suits

Gourmetbox suits couples marrying in or near Bern who want a caterer with its own urban venue, a roof terrace and a dance floor under one roof, for anything from 35 to 200 guests. The room-hire and cancellation rules are published in full, which helps a couple budget from a distance. The caveats: the Kulinarium is a city space with fixed art on the walls rather than a countryside setting, and a couple who needs an English-speaking planner should confirm that before booking.