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Star Chefs The restaurant garden, home to some 60 garden herbs.
How did you end up back at Maison de Marc Veyrat?* We first met back in 1996. We worked together for almost 3 years. Then came my military service and my culinary apprenticeship, so we lost touch for quite a while. But, in 2010, he found out that I had been trying to set up a restaurant in Chamonix again, without success. He suggested that I join up with him again near Annecy and take over his restaurant in Veyrier-du-Lac, which he wanted to sell. I immediately accepted this colossal challenge, which started out with a few financial issues... But we hit on an arrangement and we are very close now. I think he is pleased to see what the restaurant has become and, above all, that I have respected the valuable heritage that he left behind within its walls. For him, and for me as well, this is a place where great things have been achieved. It is a very sentimental thing and I’m happy to see that the fact that we hit it off so well is now bearing fruit. We have figured out how to get on with each other and I think he is very proud that the restaurant has two Michelin stars again, even though we have a little way to go yet. * Now “La Maison de Marc Veyrat, hôtel-restaurant Yoann Conte”, in Veyrier-du-Lac, Upper Savoy, France.
It did not take you long at all to earn your Michelin stars. Do you see that sort of recognition as important? Michelin stars are to chefs what Olympic medals are to athletes. You need to work very hard to achieve that level of excellence. It’s also invaluable recognition for the whole team, given that our establishment was awarded its stars very quickly. We only needed three years to earn our two stars, even though everyone thought it was madness to take on the dual role of head chef and manager. I just see it as a question of work
and desire. The challenge is stimulating. Getting those two stars is a bit like reaching the summit of Mont Blanc: you can do it on your own, with your own resourcefulness. But earning three stars is more like climbing Everest: you’ll never get there without a support team. Between the heritage you have adopted and making your own mark, how would you define Yoann Conte’s signature style? Marc Veyrat’s trademark is wild cuisine and we are keen to conserve that heritage. The restaurant garden is home to some sixty common or garden herbs. Then, twice or three times a week, we head into the mountains to gather ones that can’t be cultivated, such as ivy or meadowsweet... The ambition of developing a cuisine that is “worth a special journey”** also involves putting the emphasis on local produce. Fish from the lake and local botanicals are part of Savoy’s regional identity, and have always played a part in feeding the people living in these parts. It’s down to us to relearn how to domesticate and prepare them, so that our customers can discover them. But this culinary heritage is not enough because our restaurant is a proper business. Like free riders, I take risks, although they are always calculated ones. I’m pretty satisfied with the choices I’ve made so far, but we haven’t yet reached the moment of truth. For the moment, I’m moving
Guest are welcomed in a warm, yet elegantly appointed surroundings with a distinctly savoyard atmosphere.
How to get there LUXAVIATION FLIES TO ANNECY Annecy – Haute-Savoie – Mont Blanc Airport is located 3.5 km (2 mi.) northwest of Annecy.
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