Château de la Chèvre d'Or, in the Firmament of Stars

Thierry Naidu, founder & CEO of Groupe Phoenix Hotel Management, Directeur of Relais & Châteaux La Chèvre d’Or and starred & MOF Arnaud Faye ©YesICannes.com

Balcony overlooking the azure of the French Riviera sky and the Mediterranean, the Château de La Chèvre d’Or***** sparkles with chef Arnaud Faye’s two stars and his “From Rocks and Waves” gastronomy.

The sculpted landscapes of the Èze panorama invite you to a gastronomic experience where time becomes suspended. A five-star Relais & Châteaux clinging to the steep cliffs of the picturesque village of Èze, the Château de la Chèvre d’Or offers a breathtaking panorama over the Mediterranean and the fragrant hills of the Côte d’Azur terroir. Double starred in the Michelin Guide, the chef Arnaud Faye is inspired by these heavenly landscapes to combine this enchantment of the pupils with the delight of the taste buds on his plates.

Starred chef & MOF Arnaud Faye present his gastronomic masterpiece ©YesICannes.com

Inventive richness with Èze flavours

The Château de la Chèvre d’Or opens a balcony overlooking the azure where sky and sea blend together in a panorama of hypnotic beauty. At its feet lie the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean where yachts and sailboats sign a ballet of white wakes. Leaning against steep rocky cliffs, covered with scrublands and forests, the many terraced gardens are populated by a life-size bronze bestiary. There, jasmines, bougainvilleas, roses, trees and shrubs are flourishing, refreshed by the murmur of numerous fountains. Strolling through these landscapes and breathing in the pure iodised air invites you to an exceptional gastronomy, that of Chef Arnaud Faye, who anchors his inspiration in the culinary heritage of the Pays d’Èze to create an inventive wealth of flavours from the Côte d’Azur terroir.

A gastronomic table between sky and sea ©YesICannes.com

Superb explosive authentic flavours

Upon his arrival at the Chèvre d’Or in July 2016, Arnaud Faye, in order to satisfy the senses of a gourmet tourist dazzled by such sumptuous landscapes, has imagined an enchanting gastronomy, rich in noble products and authentic tastes. Arnaud Faye has developed a subtle alchemy in which land and sea harmonies are combined in a “from rock and waves” gastronomy, in the image of the suspended position of the Château between sky and sea, in which marine flavors joins the mineral ones. His art, developed during a prestigious careerlit with stars, expresses itself in a superb explosion of flavours served by a beautiful range of textures: exquisite crispness, finesse of noble flesh, crunchy vegetables… The sky intervenes in the form of a shower of succulent “jus” at the table, giving a solar and aromatic dimension to the artistically set up dishes.

All the perfumes of Provence in the dish ©YesICannes.com

The same synergy towards perfection

This magic of the flavours of the Côte d’Azur terroir combines fishing from the crystal-clear waters of the Grande Bleue, harvests of sun-drenched vegetables and breedings from selected local farms. To achieve this degree of culinary excellence, Arnaud Faye has built up a solid fleet of producers attached to the values of land and sea who provide him with the finest nuggets of their production and fishing. Local catch from “pointus” in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, sun-drenched vegetables from the Cassara family, market gardeners in La Gaude, Bruno Queron, ancestral vegetables in the Var, Pierre Baud, “king of the fig in France” in Vaison la Romaine, lamb from Sisteron, Les Fleurs d’Adam in Menton, saffron from Sospel… So many producers driven by the same synergy towards perfection as the chef!

The sublime “jus” of the two-star Chef Arnaud Faye ©YesICannes.com

Food and wine pairings sublimated by a meticulous service.

With its know-how in hotel business in the firmament of quality and top-of-the-range service, combined with the authentic decor in perfect harmony with the old stones of the historic city, the Château de la Chèvre d’Or is a must for elegance and prestige. The gastronomic plates sublimated by elegant dressings, a meticulous room service led by the team of Marc Piquet, directeur de la restauration, is in tune with the cellar entrusted for thirty years to the expert noses of the sommelier Philippe Magne and his accomplice Mathieu Selier. As far as desserts are concerned, Julien Dugourd, one of the most gifted pastry chefs of his generation, trained with the greatest names in cuisine and pastry, is deploying his talents around the prodigious orchards and perfumes of the surrounding maquis. Among the chef’s delicacies, the Lemon of Menton is a star on the Chèvre d’Or gastronomic menu. Also to be tasted are the different varieties of bread specially made on site for the gastronomic restaurant of the Château.

Sommeliers Mathieu Selier & Philippe Magne ©YesICannes.com

From Rocks and Waves Menu (photos YesICannes.com)

Cherry tomatoes, filled with burrata and fennel, tomato water infused with fig leaves : to awaken the taste buds, Nature unfolds its fragrances around a tomato full of fresh vitamins! Inspired by the fig trees whose sweet smell fill the cobbled streets of the village, the chef creates a harmony between the sweet acidity of the tomato, the vivacity of the fennel and the warm and soothing scent of the fig, coming as a shower of infused fig leaves.

Lobster, roasted and smoked with hyssop, Philibon melon : the prince of the seas, delicately smoked with hyssop, an ancestral aromatic plant with the fresh scent of the scrublands, marries marvellously with the sweet scented flavour of melon. The concentrated juices from the shell and parts of the lobster deliciously enhance the iodized flesh of the luxurious shellfish.

John Dory, seared, slow cooked carrots with sweet spices and preserved lemon: a crispy roasted fish, then cooked in a butter infused with anchovy. This delight, drizzled with a juice infused with Sospel saffron, is accompanied by artichokes cooked on a Japanese barbecue, fuelled with “binchotan” wood – made from cherry trees – which infuses grilled and smoked flavours.

Rabbit, smoked octopus, eggplant, chanterelle juice and cliff herbs: a gourmet masterpiece in the form of a signature dish evoking Marcel Pagnol’s Provence, the garrigue of our beautiful land where the rabbit grazes the aromatic herbs found in the oil that perfumes the dish: thyme, savory, dried fennel, rosemary… The chanterelle spreads its crisp forest fragrances in the juice, which is perfectly sustained, contrasting with the iodine of the octopus. As a nod to tradition, a mustard scented with chanterelles, made from old mustard made in the millstone from the Maison Fallot in Beaune.

Vision of a Riviera lemon, flavoured with Yuzu and Combava, signed by the pastry chef Julien Dugourd: “I have always loved lemon, I used to eat lemon ice cream when I was a child”. With this refreshing and sparkling dessert, pastry chef Julien Dugourd delivers with elegance and genius his signature pastry version of the famous citrus fruit, star of the annual Lemon Festival in Menton. The happiness of sweet and gently acidic sweets is revealed by cutting the white chocolate shell of the lemon lengthwise in a trompe-l’oeil fashion: sponge cake, mousse and creamy spread their striking yuzu and combava flavours. The final bouquet is a masterful sign of a festival of sunny, gourmande flavours.

Mignardises: Smoked Chocolate Tart, Mirabelle plum tart, Basil Sorbet with Basil Granita

Home-made bread: Traditional Baguette, Michette with salted butter, bread with black olive and herbs of Provence.

A career among the greatest

Since 1999, Arnaud Faye has worked in renowned establishments, all three-star in the Michelin guide, such as the Arnsbourg in Baarenthal, Antoine Westermann’s Buerehiesel or the Relais Bernard Loiseau. In 2007, Arnaud Faye was chef at the restaurant l’Espadon in the famous Parisian palace Le Ritz and two years later the restaurant was awarded its second Michelin star. In 2011 Arnaud Faye joins the Mandarin Oriental in Paris where the restaurant also obtains 2 Michelin stars after less than a year of opening. He then took over the management of the kitchens of the Relais et Châteaux l’Auberge du Jeu de Paume in the heart of the Domaine de Chantilly. Here too, the hotel’s gastronomic restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in March 2013 and the second star the following year, maintained in 2015 and 2016.

Arnaud Faye in his kitchen ©YesICannes.com

Arnaud Faye, Best Worker of France 2019

After all these years, thanks to the support of great Chefs such as Régis Marcon, Pierre Bertranet, Patrick Henriroux, Antoine Westermann, Jean-Georges Klein, Patrick Bertron, and Michel Roth Arnaud Faye was appointed Executive Chef of the Relais & Châteaux de la Chèvre d’Or, a member of Les Grandes Tables du Monde. He then supervised the four restaurants of the five-star palace, including the gastronomic restaurant, the bar and the banqueting service. Since then, Arnaud Faye has succeeded in maintaining the 2 Michelin stars obtained since February 2017. This exceptional chef also won the Créations et Saveurs competition, Association des Toques Françaises and Toques in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, Arnaud Faye obtained 4 toques at the Gault & Millau and in 2019 he was crowned Meilleur Ouvrier France.

A “verse de jus” sublimates the fruity and iodised deligths from the sea ©YesICannes.com

A pastry chef with an impressive list of awards

Originating from the Vosges, the pastry chef Julien Dugourd, after having obtained a CAP in cuisine and a complementary qualification in pastry, chocolate, ice cream, confectionery and confectionery, trained with renowned chefs such as Marc Veyrat at the Auberge de l’Éridan in Annecy and in Geneva, Marc Phlippe at L’hostellerie des Bapts Rupt, Jean Georges Klein at the restaurant L’Arnsbourg (where he met Arnaud Faye), Alain Ducasse at the Louis XV in Monaco and Christophe Michalak at the Plaza Athénée in Paris who will support him towards his flight to the Chèvre d’Or in 2010.

Julien Dugourd and his Riviera lemon ©YesICannes.com

Honoured by the Michelin guide

Julien also has a passion for competitions during which he has received numerous distinctions: 3rd in the European championship, vice-champion then winner of the European cup, two selections for the World Pastry Cup which will give him the opportunity to join the French team as a substitute. The Michelin guide recently honoured him in its new “Passion Dessert” promotion.

Julien Dugourd showing his sunny dessert ©YesICannes.com

The Château de la Chèvre d’Or, a balcony on the azure

Located in the heart of the village of Èze, the Château de la Chèvre d’Or offers five-star luxury services. Its rooms and suites with their typical character, scattered in the nooks and crannies of the village’s historic cobbled alleyways, open onto private gardens and an unbelievable panorama over the sea and cliffs. Heated outdoor swimming pool, wellness centre, troglodyte bath, terraced gardens and works of art make it a heavenly resort. The four restaurants enjoy panoramic sea views and serve different Mediterranean specialities. With its marble columns and large fireplace, the Castle Bar offers a medieval setting.

Panoramic views over the Grande Bleue & the French Riviera from the balcony on the azure ©YesICannes.com

A la carte and Menus

Riviera menu: 90€ and 125€ with food and wine pairing (except Sundays and public holidays). Dinner: From Rock and Waves Menu: 260€ in six courses or five courses without the dishes “Langoustine, Saint Pierre and Nectarine”: 220€. With the six-course Rock and Waves Menu, the Chèvre d’Or undertakes to donate 10% of the Bon Menu to the association “A table, les soignants!”. A la carte: around 250€. Other tables such as the Remparts or the Café du Jardin are also part of the gastronomic offer of the Château de la Chèvre d’Or.

Floral art invited in Arnaud Faye’s dishes ©YesICannes.com

One of the most beautiful hilltop villages in France

Located between the Principality of Monaco and Nissa La Bella, Èze is a small medieval village perched at 400 m above sea level, with a magnificent view over the Great Blue and the surrounding mountains. Suspended above the sea, Èze is one of the most beautiful sites on the French Riviera, with its picturesque village, narrow staircase streets, stone houses, authentic atmosphere and the fragrant fragrances of the Fragonard distillery. Èze Village boasts the remains of a medieval fortress and a remarkable exotic garden. A small path leads to Èze Village by the sea: the Nietzsche path. The famous German philosopher stayed here on several occasions, seduced by the landscapes of cypress, pine and bougainvillea trees, from which luxury hotels and villas are afloat in front of a translucent sea studded with the most beautiful yachts in the world.