Chefs au Sommet d’Auron welcomed Chef Xavier Malandran from Laflora in Mougins and Chef-Pâtissier Ludovic Gambini from La Popotte d’Ondine in Nice for a haute gastronomie dinner at L’Alisier at the foot of the slopes.
Xavier Malandran & Ludovic Gambini
Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2024 : from January 24 to 29, 2024, the twelfth edition of the Festival de Gastronomie de Montagne offers memorable gastronomic experiences to tourists and residents of the emblematic Mercantour resort. In addition to culinary workshops and show-cooking after skiing, every evening, starred or renowned chefs are dedicating their talents in the restaurants of the Haute Tinée resort, offering sumptuous gourmet dinners at the unique and privileged price of €55 per person. On Saturday January 27, 2024, chef Xavier Malandran from Laflora in Mougins and pastry chef Ludovic Gambini from La Popotte d’Ondine in Nice delighted the taste buds of the fine gourmets at restaurant L’Alisier at the foot of the slopes.
Jonathan Frechet, Ludovic Gambini, David Graziani, Xavier Malandran, Gabor Batari, Mickael Cenatiempo
Twelve years of passion for gastronomy
The Festival de la Gastronomie de Montagne celebrates its twelfth anniversary. Once again this year, this flagship event brings together many from the Côte d’Azur’s top chefs and talented pastry chefs, to share in an authentic moment of culinary pleasure and conviviality in the heart of the sumptuous Mercantour mountains. Concocted by chefs in kitchens made ephemeral for the event, menus comprising an amuse-bouche, a starter, a main course and a dessert tantalise the gourmets’ taste buds every evening.
Gastronomic dinner at L’Alisier
On Saturday January 27, 2024, chef Xavier Malandran and pastry chef Ludovic Gambini transferred their delicious culinary experiences from the village of Mougins and the center of Nice to the warm, woodsy, mountain setting of L’Alisier restaurant at the foot of the Auron slopes. The warm welcome from Mickaël Cenatiempo, the owner of the restaurant, his good humour and that of his team gave a festive feel to the chefs’ delicious dinner. To thank the guests for their well-deserved congratulations, the two chefs danced to the music of DJ Lio, who set the meal to music. L’Alisier‘s mascot, the dog Jackson, dressed in his dinner jacket for the occasion, brought his joie de vivre to every table!
David Graziani, Ludovic Gambini, Xavier Malandran, Mickael Cenatiempo, Gabor Batari
Xavier Malandran, the magic of southern flavors
A talented self-taught chef who has gone from barber’s scissors to chef’s spatula, Xavier Malandran was a finalist on TF1’s Master Chef in 2011. He is revealing the magic of southern flavors between sea and garrigue. His talent and the excellence of his cuisine with its Mediterranean accents, delicately touched with accents from elsewhere, have earned him a Bib Gourmand from the 2020 Michelin Guide at his former restaurant Lougolin in Plascassier. His gastronomy offers a festival of tastes to be savored with the eyes before the emotions of a bistronomic cuisine with gastronomic dressings. The perfection of his cooking and seasoning, and the subtlety of his flavor combinations, reveal the talent of a chef who is following his path without false notes in the Côte d’Azur’s premier culinary landscape.
Xavier Malandran
Authentic and endearing
Trained by local chefs, after practicing his culinary art at L’Écluse in Pégomas from 2015 to 2018, Xavier renovated an old “mas” in Plascassier and gave it a new identity – Lougolin in homage to his son Hugo – before deploying his talents in the kitchen. The chef now exercises his talents at the Laflora restaurant (ex-Clos Saint-Basile) in Mougins. Authentic and engaging, Xavier is favoring local producers, showcasing their produce in menus that are renewed according to his inspiration. His cuisine du marché delivers original, artfully presented creations, where vegetables and herbs combine to deliciously accompany noble products in sunny, vitamin-packed symphonies.
Xavier Malandran
Ludovic Gambini, Creative Pastry Chef
A native of Nice with a passion for pâtisserie since childhood, Ludovic Gambini devoted himself to sweets after graduating from high school. After an internship at starred chef David Faure‘s Aphrodite in Nice and an apprenticeship at Pâtisserie Canet, he joined Fabrice Didier‘s brigade at Le Négresco on the Promenade des Anglais, where he stayed for three years. In the meantime, he set up on his own to offer unique services and products, pastry courses, pastry catering, customized pastry for establishments and made-to-order pastries. He was then Creative Pastry Chef at LG Pâtisserie before becoming Pastry Chef at the emblematic Château Eza***** with Michelin-starred chef Justin Schmitt.
Ludovic Gambini
Gourmandise with ever more taste
In his creations, Ludovic Gambini applies his creativity to incorporating less fat and sugar, while offering surprising and delightful originality and gourmandise with ever more taste, by favoring the most natural raw materials and ingredients in his preparations. Ludovic has now moved on to “boutique” desserts, updating the range of pastries at La Popotte d’Ondine in Nice.
Ludovic is a member of the Toques Brûlées, led by the truculent David Faure and his wife Noëlle. He takes part in the now traditional giant barbecue offered by this team of crazy chefs at the foot of the Auron snow front.
Menu tasted at L’Alisier (photos YesICannes.com)
Mise en bouche: Scallops, Jus de Barbes, Citrus Martini Dry, Madagascar Caviar, Mousseline de l’instant with Seaweed, Paprika Oil, Lobster
Starter: Oeuf Parfait cooked to 63.5, Risotto of Céleri Rave with Brisures of Trompettes de la Mort, Grilled Chicken, Onion, truffled Jus de Viande et Nuts
Main course: Low-temperature veal fillet, declination around the Potato, Oriental Spice Jus
Dessert: Baba with mountain flavors Baba with mulled wine, Cranberries, Alba Fir poached Pear
Mignardises: Macaroons from MicMac Pâtisserie signed by Bruno Laffargue
L’Alisier, a feast for the eyes and the palate
In the heart of the Mercantour mountains, at the foot of the slopes in the popular resort of Auron, L’Alisier opens onto a sunny panoramic terrace overlooking the snow-covered peaks of the Alps. In this restaurant, where it’s pleasant to take a break between two runs, you can have lunch right on the slopes, “wearing skis”. Recently renovated, the dining room is decorated in warm, woody tones, with wood featured prominently around the fireplace. A huge trunk dominates the room, supporting a bar and bistro chairs for nibbling in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The cuisine is traditional, (burger, pasta, wood-fired pizzas, tartiflette, quality meats, homemade lasagne) using seasonal produce. During the ski season, a snowmobile picks you up from the parking lot for a little extra fun!
Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, an original recipe
Against the backdrop of the sumptuous peaks of the Mercantour, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron follows an original recipe for culinary delights and sharing. Take a line-up of famous chefs, season it with the authentic flavours from our mountain produce, spice it up with a gourmet touch with cooking and pastry-making workshops for adults and children, and add a big ladleful of relaxation, happiness and well-being. Warm up with it the heat of the Toques Brûlées’ friendly embers and add one of their grains of madness at the start of cooking. Finally, sprinkle with snowflakes (or rays of sunshine) and leave to simmer for six days on the summits of the Mediterranean Alps.
Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
From 24 to 29 January 2024
Restaurants in Auron, Saint Dalmas le Selvage & St Etienne de Tinée
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66
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