Thursday evening, 11 June 2026. Despite the rather uninviting weather, numerous guests made their way to the Pestalozzi Children’s Village to enjoy a culinary treat at the Charity Tavolata – and at the same time to show their support for education. Or rather: to make room for it.
The sky above Trogen was grey rather than blue on this June evening. For the 130 or so guests who gathered at the 80-year-old Pestalozzi Children’s Village that evening, however, this was of little consequence. They had come to take their seats at the Charity Tavolata. In the festively decorated sports hall, more than just a shared ‘dinner’ awaited them. People came together at the long table, connections were made, and it served as a reminder of just how central education is to individual life paths.
A truly special dining experience
Culinary-wise, the evening lived up to its promise: creative, carefully composed dishes accompanied a convivial get-together. The team led by Vanessa Schnyder, Chocolate Ambassador at St. Gallen-based Confiserie Roggwiler, Meta Hiltebrand, a TV chef from Zurich, and the Children’s Village kitchen team once again surprised guests with unique delicacies at the fifth edition of the event. To start, six starters were served Tavolata-style, followed by the ‘Kinderdorf soup pot’. This was followed by a beetroot and vegetable risotto with asparagus sorbet from the Children’s Village kitchen, before Vanessa Schnyder rounded off the evening with a reimagined berry tiramisu.
It soon became clear: you don’t need summer weather to create a warm atmosphere and foster social engagement. What you need are people who are willing to sit down at a table for a good cause.
A generous helping of education
Things became more concrete when children from a current media education project run by powerup_radio took to the stage and asked the two guest chefs about their experiences, their motivation and the stories behind the dishes. When asked which ingredients Meta Hiltebrand liked to use most, she replied: “For me, all ingredients are equally important. Just like with people.”
The Charity Tavolata symbolises what has characterised the Pestalozzi Children’s Village for 80 years: bringing people together and enabling education. Education flourishes where encounters take place, perspectives are shared and people are given the chance to develop their abilities. All proceeds from the Charity Tavolata go directly towards these educational projects. Every seat taken at the long table thus helps to open up new horizons for children and young people – in Switzerland and around the world.
