I Meta Hiltebrand was born in 1983 into a family of craftsmen and grew up in the municipality of Bachenbülach near Zurich. After completing her education as a chef in Zurich, she gained her first professional experience at the restaurant of Anton Mosimann, the former personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II. At the age of 23, she became the youngest head chef in Switzerland, taking over the kitchen at the restaurant “Monte-Primero” in Zurich’s Old Town. In 2011, she opened her first own restaurant, “Meta’s Kutscherhalle”. From 2013 to 2021, she also ran the restaurant “Le Chef”, which had originally been founded in 2009 by the late gastronomy pioneer Fred Tschanz.

Meta Hiltebrand’s television career began in 2007 at the age of 24 with “Kochen.tv“, broadcast on various German-Swiss regional channels. Numerous further appearances followed in both Swiss and German television formats. She became especially well known through her appearances on “Kitchen Impossible“ (VOX), where she defeated Tim Mälzer in 2016 and later competed against Michelin-starred chef Tim Raue in 2017. She also appeared on “Grill den Profi“, “Grill den Henssler“ (VOX), “Kampf der Köche“ (Sat.1), and served as a judge on “Die Küchenschlacht“ (ZDF).

In early 2019, the daily cooking format “essen & trinken – Für jeden Tag“ (RTLplus, VOXup) began airing, featuring Hiltebrand alongside Andrea Schirmaier-Huber, Ludwig Heer, and Ronny Loll. With her charismatic presence and distinctive style, she captivated viewers and established herself as a sought-after TV chef across the German-speaking world. In 2024, she also joined the jury of the programme “Lost Chefs“, where she brought her extensive knowledge and experience as a top chef. In this format, she evaluated talented young chefs and supported them with valuable advice on their path to high-end gastronomy.

In addition to her television work, Meta Hiltebrand has also found success as an author. Her first cookbook, Meta kocht, was published in 2011, followed by a second volume in 2018, Meta kocht! Ohne Wenn und Aber, in which she shares her creative and unconventional approach to cooking. She also serves as a brand ambassador and expert for the household brand “SharkNinja”, where she contributes her expertise in using innovative kitchen appliances and demonstrates their functionality in practical cooking applications. I