For the past nine years, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron have been celebrating haute gastronomy in the snows of the Mercantour with dinners by talented chefs and pastry chefs who also liven up delicious gourmet workshops at the foot of the trails.

From January 18 to 24, 2020, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron offered summits of taste, mountains of flavours and peaks of culinary emotions in the heart of the emblematic Mercantour ski resort. For the past nine years, the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has been bringing together talented chefs and renowned pastry chefs from the French Riviera who share an authentic moment of culinary pleasures and conviviality with tourists and inhabitants of the Haute Tinée region.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, an original recipe

With the sumptuous peaks of the Mercantour as a backdrop, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron celebrated Haute Gastronomie according to an original recipe of happiness and culinary sharing. Take a skewer of great chefs, season with authentic flavours from our mountain products, add a pinch of madness with the Toques Brûlées, a touch of pleasure with cooking and baking workshops for adults and children, and spice up with a big ladle of relaxation, happiness and well-being. Finally, sprinkle with snowflakes and simmer for seven days in the sunshine of the Mediterranean Alps.

A couple of chefs as godparents

For the first time this year, a duo of chefs presided over Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron: Noëlle & David Faure, from SensÔriel in Nice, two chefs with endearing personalities, full of talent and creativity, loved by all and unifying. These two godparents had placed the Mountain Gastronomy Festival under the sign of sharing and energy, good humour, joy and friendship, making the Festival “an enchanted interlude”, in the words of David Faure. Present at all the events, Noëlle and David brought warmth and passion, charm and fun to Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron to make an unforgettable edition.

Memorable culinary experiences

Under the patronage of Noëlle and David Faure, the amazing and explosive couple of chefs, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron offered a week of culinary demonstrations, conferences, fun workshops and gourmet happy hour at L’Edelweiss hotel in the central place, accompanied by the delicious cocktails of Victor Delpierre, World Barista/Cocktail Champion, creator of Le Riounet, the official Auron cocktail. In the presence of Colette Fabron, Mayor of Saint Étienne de Tinée, the inauguration of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron was hosted for the first time by the Maîtres Restaurateurs from the Alpes Maritimes and their President Théo Mansi.
 Every evening, the restaurants of the resorts of Auron, Saint Étienne de Tinée and Saint Dalmas le Selvage welcomed in their kitchens talented chefs and pastry chefs who concocted sumptuous gastronomic dinners at the unique price of 45 euros for the inhabitants of Haute Tinée and holidaymakers. These exceptional dinners were enjoyed by the fireplace, in the relaxed and warm atmosphere of the dining rooms in the wooded and mountainous decor of the mountain restaurants.

Exciting show-cooking with the Toques Brûlées

On Sunday, at the foot of the trails, skiers and gourmets enjoyed a sweet and savoury cooking show at a giant barbecue and mechoui hosted by the Toques Brûlées, led by the amazing David Faure. Every year, the chefs set the table again to set Auron’s slopes ablaze with energy and friendship as they grill gastronomic specialities based on beautiful fish, spit-roasted lamb, game cooked to the heart and numerous local products including bread, cheese, wine… followed by desserts. A beautiful event of sharing by passionate cheffes and chefs, spiced with good humour and fun for the greatest happiness of skiers on the snow front at the foot of Auron’s slopes.

Showcasing the locavore from high country

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron casts a light on the products from the high country, fresh, organic and seasonal products with a unique taste, a mountain gastronomy to be enjoyed in beautiful and peaceful landscapes. These raw materials are cultivated or raised by farmers and stockbreeders who are passionate about their profession and their land, such as those of the Montagnes Paysannes association, partners of the Mountain Gastronomy Festival. Ferme de Lavancia, Agnès Papone, Ruchers de Sallagriffon, Ferme du Poussinet, Potager de Saint Blaise, so many appellations that invite to culinary poetry and authentic flavours.

Gourmandise after-ski

After the inauguration and the Ateliers des Maîtres Restaurateurs, for seven days, the resort experienced summits of gastronomic pleasures with gourmet after-ski, culinary initiations and tastings, conferences, demonstrations on the covered terrace of the Hotel-Restaurant l’Edelweiss on the central square. Chefs and pastry cooks shared their know-how and tips to succeed in cooking chef’s dishes. Chef Jean-François Bérard, in particular, presented a splendid Pot au feu de la Mer with his customary good humour.
Victor Delpierre, the Barista/Cocktail World Champion, led the Barista/Cocktail workshops, revealing to an attentive audience the secrets of his original creations of cocktails or “mocktails” (non-alcoholic cocktails) in order to reproduce them at home. He made people taste his creation, Le Riounet, Auron’s official cocktail, and introduced skiers to La Chartreuse.

Gastronomic dinners to be enjoyed without moderation

Every evening, the restaurants in the resort of Auron, Saint-Etienne de Tinée and Saint Dalmas le Selvage welcomed talented chefs and pastry chefs from the region into their kitchens to prepare sumptuous gastronomic dinners at the unique price of 45 euros per person. These exceptional dinners can be enjoyed by the fireside, in the relaxed and warm atmosphere of the dining rooms decorated with the woodwork of the mountain restaurants. The gourmet menus, consisting of an appetizer, starter, main course and dessert, have delighted both pupils and taste buds alike. The gastronomes savoured a very wide range of French-style culinary art with regional products, sublimated and highlighted by the Bio and Locavore theme of the 9th edition of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron.

Some flavors of the Mountain Gastronomy Festival

Le Dîner des Maîtres Restaurateurs des Alpes Maritimes at the Salle Rovery
Jacques Rolancy (Le Rolancy’s, Nice) et Philippe Brito (Pâtisserie Philippe Brito, Cannes) at La Table du Chalet
Alain Llorca et Lean-Michel Llorca (Restaurant Alain Llorca, La Colle sur Loup) at La Bergerie
Jean-François Bérard (Hostellerie Bérard, La Cadière d’Azur) at Les Pivotes
Déborah Georges (Auberge Lo Robur, Roure) et Marc Payeur (Consultant) at Le Régalivou in Saint Etienne de Tinée
Emmanuel Lehrer (Le Mas de Pierre, Saint Paul de Vence) et Bruno Laffargue (Mic Mac Macarons, Carros) at Le Bistronome
Aurélien Véquaud et Steve Moracchini (La Passagère, Hôtel Belles Rives, Antibes) at Le Gratusier

Friendship, sharing and gastronomy

The Gastronomy Festival was born from the initiative of the passionate members of the association of merchants of Auron and Saint Étienne de Tinée who, having forged friendship links with many starred chefs in the region, created the festival in February 2012. Supported by Colette Fabron, Mayor of Saint Étienne de Tinée, who is present at numerous events and dinners, the gastronomic event Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron is organised by Michel Guillot, President of the Tourist Offices of La Tinée, and his team, the association of Merchants and Artisans of Auron and Saint Étienne de Tinée, with the support of the Tourist Office, the SEM des Cimes du Mercantour and the Chamber of Trades of Alpes-Maritimes and Artisans Arts and Delight. As with any large-scale event, the Auron Gastronomy Festival benefits from the support of numerous partners who added a scintillating sparkle to Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
18 – 24 January 2020
Restaurant d’Auron, St Etienne de Tinée and St Dalmas-le-Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

The Chefs’ Gourmet Happy Hour at the Auron 2020 Summit in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©Cook&Shoot Aline Gérard and YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron welcomed starred chef Aurélien Véquaud and pastry chef Steve Moracchini from La Passagère, Hôtel Belles Rives in Antibes, for a gastronomic dinner at Le Gratusier.

From 18 to 24 January 2020, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron – 9th edition – offered memorable gastronomic experiences to tourists and locals alike. Every evening, after the 5 to 7 gourmet cooking shows by the chefs at the central area, renowned chefs officiate in the restaurants of the Haute Tinée resort and offer sumptuous gastronomic dinners at a unique and privileged price of 45€ per person. The starred chef Aurélien Véquaud and pastry chef Steve Moracchini from La Passagère – Hôtel Belles Rives in Antibes, made a dinner at the restaurant Le Gratusier in Auron.

High gastronomy at the foot of the trails

For the past nine years the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has been bringing together duos of great chefs and talented pastry chefs from the French Riviera who share at the foot of the trails an authentic moment of culinary pleasures and conviviality in the heart of the sumptuous Mercantour mountains. During the Festival, great names from the culinary world perform real gastronomic feats every evening by creating four-handed dinners on unknown “pianos”. On Friday, January 24, Aurélien Véquaud* and Steve Moracchini transposed the delicious culinary experiences of La Passagère, the restaurant at the Hôtel Belles Rives in Antibes, into the warm, wooded, mountain chalet setting of the restaurant Le Gratusier at the foot of the slopes.

Aurélien Véquaud, a prestigious career

Since May 2017, Aurélien Véquaud has been Chef of the starred restaurant La Passagère in Cap d’Antibes, restaurant of the mythical Hôtel Belles Rives where the spirit of Gatsby the Magnificent is still floating. Originally from the Vendée, the young chef has perfected his talents in prestigious restaurants such as La Marine de Noirmoutier, 2*, with Alexandre Couillon, La Table des Rois de La Réserve de Beaulieu, with Olivier Brulard, MOF. In 2008, he joined Arnaud Donckele at La Pinède de Saint-Tropez (3*). In 2011, he is Chef of the Arena d’Oro restaurant at the Palm Beach in Ajaccio before returning to La Réserve de Beaulieu (1*) in 2014 with Chef Yannick Franques, MOF. Aurélien Véquaud loves to a sublimate local Mediterranean products.

Steve Moracchini, Gault & Millau Pastry Chef of the Year 2016

In charge of desserts and pastries for the Belles Rives Group since January 2012, Steve Moracchini supervises the dessert menu of La Passagère and that of the Bistrot Terrasse of Hotel Juana in Juan Les Pins. After a few years spent in pastries and boutiques, he joined the Groupe Partouche and Hotel 3.14. He then became Pastry Chef for the restaurant group Le Baoli and Le Baoli Beach in Cannes. He then flew to Florida and joined the kitchens of Le Vita in Miami before returning to the French Riviera. Steve Moracchini is a member of APRECA (Association of Restaurants Pastry Chefs of Côte d’Azur). In October 2015, he was elected 2016 Pastry Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau . This well-deserved distinction now makes him one of the greatest.

Riounet as an aperitif

The evening opened as an aperitif with the invigorating notes of the tasty Riounet, the cocktail of the talented and endearing Victor Delpierre, Barista/Cocktail World Champion, who created this beverage, which has become the official drink of the resort, during Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2018. This harmonious summit drink can be sipped cold after a nice summer walk in the mountains, or enjoyed in a grog or mulled wine version after a day on the snowy slopes, or as an after-ski comfort drink. Completed at 50% with a bubble, Champagne, Crémant or Prosecco, the cocktail becomes a great aperitif to accompany the nicest festive moments.

The chefs’ menu (photos YesICannes.com)

Amuse bouche: Mushroom from Maison Boselli and hazelnut cassette

Starter: The Imperial Rouffe of the Mediterranean, Buddha’s hand and “Belles Rives roses”.

Dish: Red mullet flambéed and rock broth flavoured with lemongrass

Dessert: Lemon confit with fennel chips in sugar shells

Mignardises: the delicious macaroons from Mic Mac Mac Macarons, signed Bruno Laffargue.

Le Gratusier and its solarium terrace

In the heart of the Mercantour mountains, on the snow front of the popular resort of Auron, Le Gratusier spreads out its deckchairs on the slopes to welcome skiers wishing to eat in the sun, after a morning spent hurtling down the trails. This family restaurant planted in the middle of the snowfields was created in the 90s. Its warm and intimate architecture, designed as a charming mountain chalet, houses a restaurant room that opens majestically onto the beauty of the landscapes and peaks that surround its solarium terrace. Throughout the winter season, Le Gratusier (named after the “cheese graters” adorning the walls of the alpine establishment) offers fresh and traditional cuisine, featuring its tartiflette and its unmistakable and sublime “profiterole gargantua”.

Authenticity, conviviality and sharing

The Mountain Gastronomy Festival Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron reflects all what the hinterland of Nice and the Mercantour offer with generosity, in addition to the splendid mountain scenery: authenticity, conviviality and sharing. These are values to which the chefs are sensitive because they provide them daily. This is why a faithful team of starred and renowned chefs come to celebrate gastronomy in the setting of the magnificent snow-covered mountains of the Alps, delighting the gourmets’ taste buds and holidaymakers on the ski slopes.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
18 – 24 January 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée and St Dalmas-le-Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

www.facebook.com/Legratusier

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, Aurélien Véquaud and Steve Moracchini at the Gratusier in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron welcomed Emmanuel Lehrer, chef of restaurant La Table de Pierre and pastry chef Bruno Laffargue, Mic Mac Macarons, for a Locavore-inspired high gastronomy dinner.

From 18 to 24 January 2020, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron – 9th edition – offered memorable gastronomic experiences at a unique and privileged price. Every evening, renowned chefs officiate in the resort and Haute Tinée restaurants and offer sumptuous gastronomic dinners at a price of €45 per person to tourists and locals alike. Chef Emmanuel Lehrer from the restaurant La Table de Pierre at Relais et Châteaux Le Mas de Pierre in Saint Paul de Vence, and pastry chef Bruno Laffargue from Mic Mac Macarons in Carros, have delighted the fine gourmets’ taste buds the restaurant Le Bistronome in Auron.

Culinary pleasures at the foot of the trails

For the past nine years, the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has benn bringing together many great chefs and talented pastry chefs from the French Riviera who share an authentic moment of culinary pleasures and conviviality at the foot of the trails in the heart of the sumptuous Mercantour mountains. During the Festival, renowned chefs and pastry chefs perform real gastronomic feats every evening by making dinners on previously unknown “pianos”.
 On Thursday 23rd January 2020, chef Emmanuel Lehrer and pastry chef Bruno Laffargue transposed the delicious culinary experiences of La Table de Pierre and Mic Mac Macarons into the sumptuous setting of Auron’s snowy slopes.

Emmanuel Lehrer, an authentic and generous cuisine

Originally from Alsace, Emmanuel Lehrer trained at the Strasbourg Hotel School. His professional career began in Switzerland at Didier Courten‘s restaurant La Cote in Corin-sur-Sierre. Joining the luxury hotel business, he travelled from the 4-star luxury Hotel Guanahani in Saint Barthélemy to the Relais & Châteaux Rosalp in Verbier, before joining Michel Rostang at Le Méridien Group and participating in the opening of the group’s restaurants in Dubai, Vienna & Milan. In 2004, he was chef of the gastronomic table of the Méridien Beach Plaza in Monte Carlo, before taking over the kitchens of the Relais & Châteaux Le Mas de Pierre in 2009, a luxurious setting where the chef practises an enlightened and locavorous cuisine, based on quality products that respect the seasons, combining the flavours of the land and the sea.

Bruno Laffargue, star of macaroons

Passionate about pastry from a young age, Bruno Laffargue began his apprenticeship in pastry making on the Côte d’Azur in Vence. He perfected his talents during trips to Haute-Savoie, then to Paris and London. He then worked in the luxury hotel business in Ireland, Dubai, Qatar and Australia. In 2009, he returned to the French Riviera and created with his wife, whom he met during these trips, his company of artisanal macaroons Mic Mac Macarons in Cagnes sur Mer, and very quickly met with great success. He distributes his delicious macaroons to the four corners of the globe and participates in many international events. A success that earned him the second prize in the “Stars et Métiers” competition in April 2011 for his know-how.

The Riounet as an aperitif

The warm evening opened with an aperitif and the invigorating notes of the tasty Riounet, the cocktail of the talented and endearing Victor Delpierre, Barista/Cocktail World Champion, creator of this beverage, which has become the official drink of the resort, for the Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2018. This harmonious summit drink can be sipped cold after a nice summer walk in the mountains, or enjoyed in a grog or mulled wine version after a day on the snowy slopes, or as an after-ski comfort drink. Completed at 50% with a bubble, Champagne, Crémant or Prosecco, the cocktail becomes a great aperitif to accompany the nicest festive moments.

Gourmet getaway on the slopes of the upper country

Emmanuel Lehrer’s gastronomy and Bruno Laffargue’s dessert have their roots in products made by small producers who are passionate and in love with their terroir. Emmanuel Lehrer has composed a sumptuous menu based on noble local products, inspired by the organic and Locavore values advocated by the culinary philosophy of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron. Jerusalem artichokes, cébette and fennel from Ferme Lavancia, organic market gardening in Puget-Théniers, in the mid-mountain region of the Parc Naturel des Préalpes d’Azur, organic sea bream farmed in the Bay of Cannes, poultry from La Ferme de la Sauréa in Tourrette-Levens, small spelt from the organic farm Les Ruchers de Sallagriffon, a commune of 40 inhabitants. For his masterpiece of snowy gourmandise, Bruno Laffargue used farm and terroir produce from the Montagnes Paysannes.

The chefs’ menu (photos YesICannes.com)

Amuse bouche: Crémeux of Jerusalem artichoke, quail egg and root vegetables. A delicious artichoke flavour in this creamy Jerusalem artichoke with the crunch of pumpkin and radish chips as a counterpoint, which accompanie the refinement of the quail egg.

Starter: Organic sea bream tartar with citrus fruits, beetroot, spinach and ginger condiment. All the flavours of the sea in this tartar of fragrant delicate flesh, adorned with exotic accents and vitaminized with citrus fruits, with the sweet crunch of beetroot. Nice alliance of land and sea.

Dish: Farmhouse guinea fowl, vegetables from Agnès Papone and small spelt from Salagriffon. We alternate this variation of guinea fowl, cooked to perfection, with mouthfuls of succulent small spelt, cooked as a risotto, with the bewitching scents of mascarpone and parmesan cheese. The small vegetables from the organic farm melt on the palate and exhale all the sunny scents, full of “peps” from the slopes of the Alps.

Dessert: Macaroon façon Tatin, pine whipped cream, sheep’s yoghurt ice cream. A tender macaroon, finely spiced up by the taste of salted butter, excites the taste buds and, by its length in the mouth, sublimates the other flavours. The tangy apple, in tarte tatin, with the exceptional flavours of a still preserved alpine heritage, smells like the great wild and sunny spaces of the Mercantour valleys. You attack this mountain of gourmandise is by the North face, snow-covered with pine whipped cream, or by its South face, iced with sheep’s yoghurt sorbet, which owes its deep character to the rich and fragrant flora of the mountains.

Mignardise: the tasty macaroons by Mic Mac Mac Macarons, signed Bruno Laffargue.

The Bistronome, conviviality and fair price

Christophe and Fabienne, the Chef, have been promoting good mountain gastronomy with gourmet accents from Lyon for the past five years. After practicing their talents at the Plage Royale in Cannes for many seasons, they settled in the central square of Auron to practice a cuisine with accents of the Alpine region at the right price. Among the specialities on the menu are frog’s legs, fried egg with truffles, black pudding from Anot and tasty local charcuterie. In a spirit of conviviality, Christophe, who has been a professional musician, invites the guests to a jam session at the end of the evening.

Authenticity, conviviality and sharing

The Mountain Gastronomy Festival Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron reflects all what the hinterland of Nice and the Mercantour offer with generosity, in addition to the splendid mountain scenery: authenticity, conviviality and sharing. These are values to which the chefs are sensitive because they provide them daily. This is why a faithful team of starred and renowned chefs come to celebrate gastronomy in the setting of the magnificent snow-covered mountains of the Alps, delighting the taste buds of gourmets and holidaymakers on the ski trails.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
18 – 24 January 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée & St Dalmas-le-Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

www.facebook.com/Le-Bistronome

Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, Le Locavore by Emmanuel Lehrer and Bruno Laffargue in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron welcomed Déborah Georges, chef of l’Auberge Lo Robur in Roure and pastry chef Marc Payeur in Cannes for a high gastronomy dinner at the Régalivou in Saint Étienne de Tinée.

From 18 to 24 January 2020, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron – 9th edition – offered memorable gastronomic experiences to tourists and locals alike. Every evening, in addition to the chefs’ cooking shows at the ice rink, renowned chefs officiate in the restaurants of the Haute Tinée resort and offer sumptuous gastronomic dinners at a unique and privileged price of 45€ per person. The Cheffe Déborah Georges from Lo Robur Inn in Roure and pastry chef Marc Payeur, consultant, have delighted the fine gourmets’ taste buds at Le Régalivou restaurant in Saint Étienne de Tinée.

High gastronomy at the foot of the trails

For the past nine years, the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has been bringing together many great chefs and talented pastry chefs from the French Riviera who share at the foot of the slopes an authentic moment of culinary pleasures and conviviality in the heart of the sumptuous mountains of the Mercantour. During the Festival, great names from the culinary world perform real gastronomic feats every evening by creating four-handed dinners on previously unknown “pianos”. On Wednesday, January 22, Déborah Georges and Marc Payeur transposed Lo Robur‘s delicious culinary experiences into the warm, wooded, mountain chalet setting of Le Régalivou restaurant.

Déborah Georges, love of local produce

Déborah Georges has chosen a meaningful life in a beautiful and peaceful location, the Auberge Lo Robur in the charming village of Roure. In her kitchen, which opens onto a superb panoramic and deep view of the Tinée valley, Déborah lovingly sublimates local produce into delights to be enjoyed in the soothing and enchanting setting of the mountainous landscapes of the Mercantour. In a warm and friendly atmosphere, the cheffe offers gourmets the local, organic and fresh products, sublimated with brio. Passionate about cooking, Déborah has followed a path rich in beautiful starred addresses: La Chèvre d’Or in Eze, L’Hotel du Cap Eden Roc in Antibes, La Folie Douce in Val d’Isère. Déborah is a member of the Toques Brûlées, a group of talented and generous chefs, led by David and Noëlle Faure, who each year provide an amazing barbecue at Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron.

Marc Payeur, a modern vision of traditional desserts

After a C.A.P. as a pastry chef, chocolate maker, confectioner, ice-cream maker, Marc Payeur perfected his talents in major establishments: L’Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo with Pastry Chef Pierre Foucher, L’Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de La Celle with Benoît Witz, then he worked at Fauchon in Paris with Christophe Adam before joining Le Plaza Athénée in Paris with Pastry Chef Christophe Michalak. Back on the French Riviera in 2010, Marc works as Pastry Chef at the starred restaurant Lou Fassum in Plascassier before assisting Pastry Chef Patrick Mesiano at the Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo in Monaco in 2011 alongside Joël Rebuchon. He then worked in two prestigious establishments on the Côte d’Azur, Le Royal-Riviera, a 5-star hotel in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with Marcel Ravin, and the Blue Bay, a starred restaurant at the Monte Carlo Bay. Marc Payeur likes to share with gourmets his modern vision of traditional desserts, without colouring agents, evolving with the seasons.

Flavours from the mountains

Behind each ingredient, farm or local product, resounds a name or a place with an authentic and poetic echo: Ferme de Lavancia, Bergerie de la Belloire, Ferme du Poussinet, Saint Blaise’s vegetable garden… The fresh and seasonal products cooked by Déborah have the accent of the Provencal mountain terroir and are honoured every day in beautiful and generous plates in the gastronomic restaurant Lo Robur. At Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, Déborah has marvellously staged the locavore advocated by the Mountain Gastronomy Festival, highlighting the true taste of the raw materials produced by farmers and breeders passionate about their craft and their land. Marc Payeur’s geometrically beautiful dessert delighted both the gourmets’s pupils and taste buds.

The chefs’ menu (photos YesICannes.com)

Amuse bouche: Rye bread toast with salted butter and truffle, fresh truffle shavings and lamb’s lettuce with lime and lemon vinaigrette. The mountain terroir is at its best with the delicate taste of the rye bread and the scent of truffle that bewitches the senses and the palate. The freshness of the lamb’s lettuce and the slight sunny acidity of the lime and lemon combination are a beautiful introduction to this king’s meal.

Entrée: Snail soup with pancetta, Gourmet garnish on a shortbread made with spelt flour, Emulsion of fresh sheep’s milk cheese from the Bergerie de la Belloire. This deliciously gourmet soup accompanied by tasty and crispy pancetta (from the Auberge de Roubion), combined with the fruity freshness of fresh ewe’s milk cheese on its soft and deep-flavoured shortbread, sings an ode to well-eating, sublimated by the land and the exceptional products from the Mercantour Massif.

Dish: Lamb in all its forms from the Bergerie de la Belloire, Poupeton of Shoulder Moorish style, Saddle in nettle crust, thyme and hazelnuts, Leg of lamb stuffed with Lavancia kale and nettle, Grilled and smoked rib, Lamb juice with hazelnuts. This is yet another fine display of the fabulous products of the rich Mercantour terroir with this variation of lamb meat with a refined and sustained taste. The perfect cooking of the shoulder and the saddle coated with the pronounced, vegetal fragrance of nettle, all spryed by the full-bodied thyme-flavoured juice, brings a wild dimension to the dish, emphasizing the large, still untamed mountain areas.

Dessert: Passion chocolate and hazelnut praline. A melting praline on a soft cake, all with pronounced accents of Valrhona chocolate enhanced by dark chocolate chips. A light sweet delight for a sweetly apotheotic finale.

Mignardises: the tasty Mic Mac Macarons macaroons signed by Bruno Laffargue

The delicious creations of Déborah Georges and Marc Payeur were enjoyed with food and wine pairings, which you will find illustrated in the photo gallery at the end of the article.

Le Régalivou, conviviality and prices you love

Located at the entrance of St Etienne de Tinée, the Hotel Restaurant Le Régalivou is a pleasant place with a dining room beautifully decorated with the wood of the mountain that stretches out at its feet. The chef Eric Grosso proposes a gourmet and copious cuisine of mountain specialities or pizzas and grilled meats, to be enjoyed in a warm and friendly atmosphere, as much on the terrace in fine weather as by the fireplace in winter after a day’s skiing. Popular with hikers and motorcyclists, the place is also reknown for its reasonable prices.

Authenticity, conviviality and sharing

The Mountain Gastronomy Festival Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron reflects all what the hinterland of Nice and the Mercantour offer with generosity, in addition to the splendid mountain scenery: authenticity, conviviality and sharing. These are values to which the chefs are sensitive because they provide them daily. This is why a faithful team of starred and renowned chefs come to celebrate gastronomy in the setting of the magnificent snow-covered mountains of the Alps, delighting the taste buds of gourmets and holidaymakers on the ski trails.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
18 – 24 January 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée and St Dalmas-le-Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

www.leregalivou.free.fr

Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, Déborah Georges and Marc Payeur at Le Régalivou in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Jean-François Bérard brought joy with him at Les Pivotes! ©YesICannes.com

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron welcomed Jean-François Bérard, starred chef from L’Hostellerie Bérard in La Cadière d’Azur (Var) for a high gastronomy dinner at Les Pivotes in Auron.

From 18 to 24 January 2020, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron – 9th edition – offered memorable gastronomic experiences to tourists and locals alike. In addition to the chefs’ cooking shows at the ice rink, every evening, renowned chefs officiate in the restaurants of the Haute Tinée resort to offer sumptuous gastronomic dinners at a unique and privileged price of 45€ per person. Jean-François Bérard, starred chef from L’Hostellerie Bérard in La Cadière d’Azur in le Var, has delighted the fine gourmets’s taste buds at Les Pivotes restaurant of Hôtel L’Écureuil.

High gastronomy at the foot of the trails

For the past nine years the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has been bringing together many great chefs and talented pastry chefs from the French Riviera who share at the foot of the trails an authentic moment of culinary pleasures and conviviality in the heart of the sumptuous mountains of the Mercantour. During the Festival, great names from the culinary world perform real gastronomic feats every evening by making dinners on previously unknown “pianos”.
On Tuesday 21 January 2020, Jean-François Bérard transposed the delicious culinary experiences of L’Hostellerie Bérard into the warm, wooded, mountainous setting of Les Pivotes in Auron.

Jean-François Bérard, a star on the mountaintop

After a career in prestigious houses (Le Moulin de Mougins, Le Grand Hôtel du Cap in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Le Pré Catelan in Paris), Jean-François Bérard hab been continuing the fine tradition of the family’s table, L’Hostellerie Bérard, founded by his father René and his mother Danièle in 1969 at La Cadière d’Azur. The establishment has just celebrated 50 years of success, love of customers and passion for gastronomy. Jean-François Bérard is committed to perpetuating his heritage of culinary delights, which he happily dispenses in a spirit of good humour and communication with epicureans.

The “jus” virtuoso

Passionate about the sunny scents of Provence, the chef sublimates the excellent products provided by his network of small local producers, while the kitchen garden of this chef gardener generously lavishes herbs and spices (37 species of basil!), flowers (of zucchini), vegetables and even fruit. These quality products are enhanced by virtuoso and succulent, often full-bodied juices coming from long reductions of ingredients, including many herbs.

The Riounet as an aperitif

The warm evening opened with an aperitif and the invigorating notes of the tasty Riounet, the cocktail of the talented and endearing Victor Delpierre, Barista/Cocktail World Champion, who created this beverage, which has become the resort’s official drink, for the 2018 Chefs au Sommet d’Auron. This harmonious nectar from the summits can be sipped cold after a nice summer walk in the mountains, or enjoyed as a grog or mulled wine after a day on the snowy slopes, or as an after-ski drink to comfort oneself. Complete at 50% with a bubble, Champagne, Crémant or Prosecco, the cocktail becomes a great aperitif to accompany the nicest festive moments.

Jean-François Bérard’s delicious creations could be enjoyed with food and wine pairings, which you will find illustrated in the photo gallery at the end of this article.

Chef Bérard’s menu (photos YesICannes.com)

Amuse bouche around the chard: Creamy chard soup, snow of mountain cheese, snails, warm trouchia, parmesan cheese. This creative masterpiece of snails in a Provencal “suççaréllo” gives an explosion of flavors in the mouth with its sauce based on olive oil and all the scents of a garden in the garrigue! The chard in all its forms!

Starter: Organic egg from La Ferme du Poussinet, lentils with vegetable charcoal, onion confit, crumble of roasted cereal seed, ham lace, poultry juice. The vegetable charcoal helps the digestion of this “perfect” egg delicacy, cooked at 63° and interpreted in a mountain spirit, with grilled buckwheat and small spelt and enhanced with a juice of which you would make your ordinary!

Dish: Veal shank confit, root vegetable, gnocchi, gremolata with Menton lemon, thyme, sage, mushrooms of the moment. Jean François Bérard proves again that the best meat “is around the bone”! Slowly cooked during eight hours, the shank exhales all its aromas, sublimated by the confit of shallots and a full-bodied juice that gives a divine dimension to this generous dish.

Dessert: Jivara Chocolate Crisp, Quince, Chestnut, Mandarin Freshness, Caramel Sauce, Tonka Bean, Vanilla. The chef deploys all his gourmande creativity in this dessert with chocolate flavours and hazelnut accents, enhanced by the light acidity of citrus fruits. A sweetness in apotheosis!

Mignardises: tasty Mic Mac Macaroon macaroons, signed Bruno Laffargue, decorated with the logo of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron.

L’Hôtel L’Écureuil, hazelnuts of charm and gourmandise

In the heart of the popular resort of Auron, Princess Stephanie of Monaco‘s chosen city, the three-star mountain Hotel L’Écureuil cultivates a warm chalet atmosphere, offering a friendly and attentive welcome all year round to enjoy a mountain that is green in summer and white in winter.
Every evening, the restaurant Les Pivotes comes alive around its wood stove (on winter evenings) and offers its seasonal semi-gastronomic, à l’ardoise cuisine, offering the great classics of mountain specialities but also the revisited dishes of our childhood.

The Hotel restaurant L’Écureuil is managed by Michel Guillot, President of the Tourist Office of the Tinée Resorts and organizer of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
18 to 24 January 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée and St Dalmas le Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, Jean-François Bérard at Les Pivottes in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron welcomed Alain Llorca, chef of Restaurant Alain Llorca in Saint-Paul de Vence for a high gastronomy dinner at La Bergerie.

From 18 to 24 January 2020, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron – 9th edition – offered memorable gastronomic experiences to tourists and locals alike. Every evening, in addition to the cooking-shows at the ice rink, renowned chefs officiate in the restaurants of the Haute Tinée resort and offer sumptuous gastronomic dinners at a unique and privileged price of 45€ per person. Michelin-starred chef Alain Llorca from Hôtel-Restaurant**** Alain Llorca in Saint-Paul de Vence and Jean-Michel Llorca, his brother pastry chef, have delighted the taste buds of fine gourmets at La Bergerie restaurant in Auron.

High gastronomy at the foot of the trails

For the past nine years, the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has been bringing together many great chefs and talented pastry chefs from the French Riviera who share at the foot of the slopes an authentic moment of culinary pleasures and conviviality in the heart of the sumptuous mountains of the Mercantour. During the Festival, great names from the culinary world perform real gastronomic feats every evening by holding dinners on previously unknown “pianos”.
On Monday, January 20, 2020, Alain Llorca transposed the delicious culinary experiences of Restaurant Alain Llorca into the warm, wooded, mountain chalet decor of La Bergerie restaurant at the foot of the trails.

Alain Llorca, contemporary Mediterranean cuisine

After his studies at the Lycée hôtelier Paul Augier in Nice, Alain Llorca, from Catalan origin, honed his culinary talents with great chefs: Christian Métral at L’Auberge du Jarrier in Biot, Christian Morisset at Hôtel Juana in Juan-les-Pins, Jacques Maximin and Dominique Le Stanc at Hôtel Négresco, Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV – Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. At the age of 30, he is the owner of the restaurant Les Peintres in Haut-de-Cagnes where he was awarded a first Michelin star. In 2003, the chef returned to Le Chanteclerc at Le Négresco where two stars rewarded his talent and creativity in contemporary Mediterranean cuisine. He then succeeded the mythical chef Roger Vergé at Le Moulins de Mougins where he maintained his two stars. In 2009, after a season at La Passagère of Hôtel Belles Rives in Juan le Pins, Alain opened his establishment in La Colle-sur-Loup, which bears his name and will be awarded one star in 2012.

Jean Michel Llorca, a visionary of gourmet cuisine

In Alain’z restaurant in La Colle Sur Loup, the desserts are signed by pastry chef Jean-Michel Llorca, his brother, an artist known for his famous praline-chocolate “tête au carré”, made in collaboration with the sculptor Sosno. Jean-Michel Llorca has worked with some of the greatest: Alain Ducasse, Frédéric Robert, Christian Camprini. After a period at the Hotel Juana in Antibes and then at the restaurant La Passagère of Hotel Belles-Rives in Juan les Pins, he is now playing his part with rigorous work and attention to detail at the Restaurant Alain Llorca in La Colle Sur Loup, ending his brother’s culinary delights with a firework display of desserts.

The tasted dishes (photos YesICannes.com)

Amuse bouche: Small cream of cauliflower and smoked salmon. A creamy symphony of flavours from land and sea where the cauliflower enhances, with its powerful perfume, the smooth and firm sweetness of the salmon.

Entrée: Velouté of chestnut grilled over a wood fire, winter vegetables, martin sec pear, celery, squash, chestnuts, prunes cooked in a casserole, slice of roasted foie gras. You will enjoy this island of pan-roasted foie gras bathed in its chestnut velouté, decorated with a farandole of different seasonal delicacies: poached pear, chestnut, pumpkin, prune!

Dish: Thick roasted cod steak glazed with mustard, leeks cooked in peasant bacon, broth of leeks cooked in reduction. The soft flesh of the fish in its broth is a caress on the palate, seasoned with mustard, relayed by the melting and fragrant leeks.

Dessert: Exotic crown of ivory lime, white chocolate, coconut shavings, cocktail sorbet. In this exotic-accented delicacy, we alternate delicious bites between sorbet and soft and fragrant cake.

La Bergerie, the resort’s oldest restaurant

At the foot of the slopes of the popular resort of Auron, in the heart of the Mercantour mountains, La Bergerie opens its terrace overlooking the slopes, very pleasant in winter when the sun invites itself at lunch. It is the oldest table in the resort, a real sheepfold transformed into a restaurant. The chef Alain Monge offers a 100% “home-made” cuisine, from fresh pasta to roast meats or Niçoises specialities. The wine list gives pride of place to the nectars from Provence.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
From 18 to 24 January 2020
Restaurants of Auron, St Étienne de Tinée and St Dalmas Le Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

www.labergerie-auron.fr

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, Alain Llorca at La Bergerie in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron thanked the prestigious partners of the Festival de Gastronomie de Montagne in the Mercantour snow during a festive reception on the trails at La Bergerie.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron celebrated from January 18th to 24th, 2020, the high gastronomy by summits of tastes, mountains of flavours, peaks of gustatory emotions in the heart of the Mercantour’s emblematic ski resort. Talented chefs and pastry chefs from the French Riviera shared moments of authenticity and gastronomic pleasures in a convivial atmosphere with tourists and inhabitants from the Haute Tinée. As every year for the past nine years, faithful and generous partners have contributed to the success of the Mountain Gastronomy Festival.

Culinary delights to be shared

With the sumptuous peaks of the Mercantour as a backdrop, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron have been celebrating Haute Gastronomy for nine years through events of culinary delights sharing. For the first time, a talented couple of chefs, Noëlle and David Faure from SensÔriel in Nice, honoured the gastronomic event with their fun, energy, smile and kindness. The Festival de Gastronomie de Montagne offered a week of culinary demonstrations, fun workshops and gourmet 5-7s on the central area. During the Festival, cheffes and chefs of great renown performed real culinary feats every evening by concocting gastronomic dinners in the resort’s restaurants.

Gastronomes spoilt every night

Every evening, the restaurants in the resort of Auron, Saint-Étienne de Tinée and St Dalmas Le Selvage welcomed in their kitchens renowned chefs and pastry chefs of the region who created sumptuous gastronomic dinners at the unique and privileged price of 45 euros per person. These exceptional dinners are enjoyed by the fireside, in the relaxed and warm atmosphere of the dining rooms decorated with the woodwork of the mountain restaurants. These high-altitude dinners and festival events are held in partnership with prestigious partners from the wine and culinary world.

Faithful partners

Many chefs and participants from the Mountain Gastronomy Festival gathered around the partners of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2020 for a presentation of their know-how and a tasting of their products at Alain Monge‘s La Bergerie restaurant on the trails of Auron on Monday January 20th. Guests were able, among others, to discover and appreciate the nectars from the Domaine de Rimauresq, Cru Classé Côtes de Provence in Pignans in the Var, Philipponnat Champagnes… Victor Delpierre, Barista/Cocktail World Champion, presented liqueurs and Andros fruit juices from which he concocted tasty cocktails before distilling an exceptional coffee.

An event immortalized on glossy paper

In the presence of Colette Fabron, Mayor of Saint Étienne de Tinée, who has been ardently supporting the event since its inception, the guests were able to taste the tasty specialties from Le Gooker’s multifunctional wood-fired oven, as well as a rich buffet concocted by La Bergerie and La Table du Chalet. In partnership with Balicco, photographer Christophe Giraudeau immortalized the event on glossy paper and then offered the photos to each guest.

Snow Stars

The Mountain Gastronomy Festival was born out of the initiative of the members of the Auron and Saint Étienne de Tinée Shopkeepers’ Association who, having forged friendships with many starred Chefs in the region, created the festival in February 2012 under the aegis of Michel Guillot, President of the Tinée Tourist Offices and Krystel Biret, his deputy. Many chefs and partners have rallied the cause of this gastronomic event that has become a must. Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron is organised by the Association des Commerçants et Artisans d’Auron et Saint Étienne de Tinée with the support of the commune of Saint Étienne de Tinée, the Tourist Office, the SEM des Cimes du Mercantour and the Chambre des Métiers des Alpes-Maritimes et des Artisans Arts et Délices.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
18 – 24 Janvier 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée & St Dalmas Le Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

2020 Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron’s partners in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron welcomed Jacques Rolancy, chef of Le Rolancy’s in Nice and pastry chef Philippe Brito from Cannes for a high gastronomy dinner at La Table du Chalet.

From 18 to 24 January 2020, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron – 9th edition – offered memorable gastronomic experiences to tourists and locals alike, with the sumptuous, pristine mountains of the Mercantour as a backdrop. Every evening, in addition to the chefs’ show-cooking at the ice rink, renowned chefs officiate in the restaurants of the Haute Tinée resort and offer sumptuous gastronomic dinners at a unique and privileged price of 45€ per person. MOF chef Jacques Rolancy, chef at Le Rolancy’s in Nice and pastry chef Philippe Brito, Pâtisserie Brito in Cannes, have delighted the taste buds of fine gourmets at La Table du Chalet, the restaurant of Le Chalet d’Auron Hôtel.

High gastronomy at the foot of the slopes

For the past nine years, the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has been bringing together many of the great chefs and talented pastry chefs from the French Riviera who share an authentic moment of culinary pleasures and conviviality at the foot of the trails in the heart of the sumptuous Mercantour mountains. During the Festival, great names from the culinary world perform real gastronomic feats every evening by creating four-handed dinners on previously unknown “pianos”. On Sunday, January 19, Jacques Rolancy and Philippe Brito transposed the delicious culinary experiences of Le Rolancy’s and Pâtisserie Brito to delight the guests’ taste buds in the intimate, wooded and warm decor of La Table du Chalet restaurant, which was sold out for this exceptional dinner.

Jacques Rolancy, the French gastronomic tradition

The French gastronomic tradition is alive and well in Jacques Rolancy’s family: his mother was the first woman Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1982! Jacques did his apprenticeship with Pierre Orsi. He continued his training with Jean Vettard and then at L’Auberge du Père Bise before working with Philippe Jousse at Chapel. In Paris, he joins Joël Robuchon‘s brigade at Le Jamin where he works with Benoît Guichard, Eric Lecerf and Philippe Godet. Then he joined Le Taillevent where he worked with Christian Le Squer and Michel de Mattéis under the aegis of Claude Deligne and his second Philippe Legendre. Wishing to evolve, he spent four years at Le Laurent, including two years as a chef before taking over the kitchens of L’Auberge des Templiers in Les Bézards for three years. In 1983, the Hilton hotel chain entrusted him with the position of executive chef at the Hilton Park Lane in London with the aim of bringing a star to the establishment. Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1996, the chef now practices his art in his dual-purpose establishment in Nice: the gastronomic restaurant Le Rolancy’s and the bistro, Le Bistrot des Viviers.

Philippe Brito, passionate about chocolate

Philippe Brito likes to share his love of the profession, his experience and his uniqueness as a pastry artist. Before opening the Pâtisserie-chocolaterie Philippe Brito in Cannes in March 2011, Philippe took his first steps at the Maison Olcina in Cannes and perfected his talent in prestigious establishments such as the former Noga Hilton in Cannes, Alain Ducasse‘s Bar & Bœuf and the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel in Monaco.
His cakes and sweets reflect his background and personality: traditional in taste and original in form and design. Renewing his creations according to the seasons to give the best to his customers, Philippe Brito makes it a point of honour to privilege flavours and originality in his creations. As for Philippe Brito’s chocolates, they stand out from other chocolates thanks to their cubic aspect which has earned him the nickname of “pastry chef with square chocolates”.

Flavours of sun, sea and land (Photos YesICannes.com)

Chickpea Salad and Pagre Tartar, an Emulsion inspired by Oriental Hummus. The land and the sea are honoured in this tasty recipe with a sunny vegetable a little forgotten on our plates: chickpeas to accompany the delicate with a pronounced taste flesh of pagre.

Soft boiled Egg and Small Spelt Stew with Truffles. A tasty egg from our mountains on a nest of orangey small spelt of altitude, half crunchy, half melting, with hazelnut aromas sublimated by the carnal perfume of the Truffle, the winter’s Black Diamond.

Capon supreme enriched with its candied leg, young vegetables and Black Truffle Chips (tuber melanosporum 1%). A tender and tasty festive poultry, accompanied by its vitaminized and crunchy vegetables, ennobled with a Truffle juice, which gives all its dimension to the dish.

The Alliance between Chocolate and Passion. In a tangy, fresh and gourmande alliance, a delicious chocolate fondant, whose sweetness in the mouth preserves its full-bodied and bitterness, crowned with fine delicate mousses and cake cubes. A dessert with a sweet and crispy base, fresh in the middle and divine at the end with the chocolate caressed by the light acidity of the fruit.

As mignardise, a delicious Mic Mac Macarons macaroon signed Bruno Laffargue with the logo of the Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron.

About Le Chalet d’Auron

In the heart of the Mercantour mountains, in a traditional, friendly and warm chalet decor, with Pierre Frey’s fabrics in the windows, the Hotel Restaurant Le Chalet d’Auron boasts a four-star rating. A panoramic terrace opening onto the snow-covered alpine peaks during the ski season, a heated swimming pool, a sauna and hammam and a semi-gastronomic table in the tradition of our mountains, complete a quality accommodation offer.

Authenticity, conviviality and sharing

The Mountain Gastronomy Festival Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron reflects all what the hinterland of Nice and the Mercantour offer with generosity, in addition to the splendid mountain scenery: authenticity, conviviality and sharing. These are values to which the chefs are sensitive because they provide them daily. This is why a faithful team of starred and renowned chefs come to celebrate gastronomy in the setting of the magnificent snow-covered mountains of the Alps, delighting the taste buds of gourmets and holidaymakers on the ski trails.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
18 – 24 January 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Étienne de Tinée & St Dalmas Le Selvage
Information: Office de Tourisme d’Auron
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

chaletdauron.fr

Jacques Rolancy and Philippe Brito at La Table du Chalet in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2020 have donned their Toques Brûlées outfit to offer skiers a cooking show full of culinary talents, treating them to barbecued mountain delicacies and specialities.

At Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, on Sunday 19th January 2020, skiers and gourmets were spoiled: a breakfast was offered at the foot of the ski trails followed by the now traditional giant barbecue with tasting of grilled meat and fish by the Toques Brûlées led by the lively David Faure. About twenty chefs set the snow front ablaze with their gastronomic delights to leaving the skiers of the domain enchanted.

To the warmth of embers, friendship and generosity

Under the flamboyant Toques Brûlées outfit, cheerfully hosted by the godfather of the 2020 edition, chef David Faure from SensÔriel in Nice, and Noëlle, his accomplice in the city as well as in the kitchen, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron offered more than three hours of gourmet happiness to skiers and skaters, inhabitants of Auron and tourists, by hosting with their giant barbecues a Culinary Art show of rare intensity.
Tastings of “fait minute” recipes, specialities simmered in the heat of the embers, of the heart, of friendship and generosity, were given away to an enchanted public. Christian Perria, the World Champion of Ecaillers also demonstrated his colourful talents.

The Toques Brûles set fire to the trails

Gastronomy leaves extraordinary memories! Thus, the moments spent while tasting the many specialties prepared by the generous cheffes and chefs of the truculent Toques Brûlées will have left memorable taste impressions to mark the 2020 Mountain Gastronomy Festival. Under a radiant sun, the Toques Brûlées locavore, lovingly cooked by the cheerful and spectacular Toques Brûlées brigade and guest chefs, including the Toques Blanches, delighted visitors and their families. Each chef offered his or her refined recipe, prepared at the foot of the snow front.

Barbecued gourmet recipes

On the menu, many delicate specialities: game, venison and daguet à la braise, stewed wild boar, lamb on the spit, ribs of pork on embers; local vegetables: small spelt, parsnip purée, butternut squash; fish: bass and sea bream from the bay of Cannes, pageots, squid; many breads, focaccia; saffron rice pudding cooked in a wood-fired cauldron, socca cooked in Le Gooker‘s multi-purpose oven… For the sweets, the marshmallow-coloured dessert of the Reine des Neiges, released by Claire Verneil, attracted much attention!

Breads, desserts and cocktails

The Toques Brûlées delicacies were accompanied by country breads from artisan bakers such as the Boulangerie Centrale in Saint Étienne de Tinée, the Maison Yalex in Isola Village, Les Pains de Flo in Auron and Rolfo Créations in Saint Laurent du Var. Sweet delicacies delighted the taste buds of an audience put in appetite by the fragrant fumes that floated around, impatient to taste these marvels offered by Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron. To help you to stay in front of the buffets rather than hurtling down the slopes! On the drinks side, Victor Delpierre, Barista/Cocktail World Champion, had prepared delicious fruit cocktails. The Bières du Comté, brewed and bottled in Saint Martin Vésubie, gave a boost to this event, which was a celebration of sharing and gastronomy.

The Toques Brûlées cheer Auron

Les Toques Brûlées brings together within its association renowned chefs who regularly perform breathtaking culinary shows on the French Riviera that are real gourmet adventures. In their modernity and prodigality, the truculent chefs advocate creativity, quality, conviviality and friendship. They love to revisit traditional or local dishes in a modern and evolving cuisine. Les Toques Brûlées were created in 2007 by their current president, the amazing chef David Faure.

Mountain Gastronomy Festival

With the snowfields of the sumptuous, pristine peaks of the Mercantour as a backdrop, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron is a highly mountainous and tasteful event in Auron, Saint Etienne de Tinée and Saint Dalmas Le Salvage. For the past nine years, the Mountain Gastronomy Festival has been offering gastronomic menus at unique and moderate prices (45€) in the restaurants of the resort and its surroundings. Numerous culinary demonstrations led by renowned chefs also enliven the afternoons of fine gourmets. This very “toquée” team, surrounded by pastry chefs from the French Riviera, offers a moment of authenticity, sharing, culinary pleasures and conviviality with the many holidaymakers who frequent the resort of Auron.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
From 18 to 24 january 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée & St Dalmas-le-Selvage
Information: Office de Tourisme d’Auron
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

auron.com

Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, Toques Brûlées’ Embers of Friendship in pictures

Click to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved

The ninth edition of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, with chefs Noëlle and David Faure as godmother and godfather, begins in apotheosis with a high gastronomy dinner concocted by Maîtres Restaurateurs.

The inauguration of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2020 was hosted by the young Maîtres Restaurateurs of the Alpes Maritimes. Rewarded with a state label consecrating the excellence of their cooking talents, six Maîtres Restaurateurs have orchestrated a dinner of exceptional quality at the Salle Rovery in Auron, in the presence of the godmother and godfather, chefs Noëlle and David Faure from SensÔriel in Nice. As part of an educational project, the students from the Lycée Paul Augier in Nice brilliantly prepared and served the chefs’ recipes.

Memorable culinary experiences

With the sumptuous, pristine mountains of the Mercantour as a backdrop, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron is a gastronomic event in Auron, Saint Etienne de Tinée and St Dalmas Le Selvage. From 18th to 24th January 2020, the Mountain Gastronomy Festival – 9th edition – offers gastronomic meals at the unique and privileged price of 45€ in the resort’s restaurants, with numerous culinary events and show cooking by chefs at the ice rink during 5 to 7 gourmet get-togethers. During the festival, prestigious chefs perform real gastronomic feats every evening by making dinners on “pianos” that were previously unknown to them. A duo of talented great chefs and pastry chefs from the French Riviera offers an authentic moment of sharing culinary pleasures and conviviality with the inhabitants of the Haute Tinée and holidaymakers.

Unforgettable gala by Maîtres Restaurateurs!

This year, Michel Guillot, President of the Tourist Office of the Tinée Resorts and organizer of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, brought together five young Maîtres Restaurateurs from the Alpes Maritimes, represented by Théo Mansi, their President. After delighting the public’s taste buds at the inauguration of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron on the central square, the Maîtres Restaurateurs orchestrated a sumptuous gala dinner for 100 guests at the Salle Rovery. The Maîtres Restaurateurs’ recipes were prepared and served with brio by the students from the Lycée Paul Augier, as part of an educational project.

The Maîtres Restaurateurs are wonderful!

In the presence of Colette Fabron, Mayor of Auron, and the couple who sponsored the culinary event, Noëlle and David Faure, the five exceptional chefs delighted the palate of gourmets by composing a menu of creative masterpieces, with local flavours, combining simplicity and modernity in finely composed dishes: Guillaume Arragon (Le Bistrot Gourmand – Cannes), Stéphane Furlan (Le Sansot – Tourrettes sur Loup), Mathieu Allinéi (Le Bistrot du Port – Golfe Juan), Jérôme Clavel (Le 44 – Antibes), Aurélien Nourry (Le Millésime – Nice).

The Maîtres Restaurateurs’ menu (photos YesICannes.com)

Guillaume Arragon: Mise en bouche – Lerins Island sea urchins, Chestnut Emulsion, Candied Lemon
Champagne Philliponnat

Starter: Stéphane Furlan – Pomponette oc crab and Lobster with Coriander, Chlorophyll Juice
Domaine de Rimauresq – Cuvée La Rebelle 2018

Fish: Mathieu Allinéi – Mullet in Marine Steam, à la cuillère Head, Skin Chips and White Vegetables, Bourride Bouillon
Domaine de Rimauresq – Quintessence White 2018

Granite Chartreuse Millenium

Meat: Jérôme Clavel – Candied shoulder of Alpine Lamb, Salsify and Beetroot and Juice with Timut Pepper
Maison Gabriel Meffre – Gigondas Domaine de Longue Toque 2015 – Magnum

Dessert: Aurélien Nourry – Valrhona Grand Cru Chocolate Hull, Chestnut Cream, Fir Chiboust, Chocolate Dacquoise, Fir Ice Cream, Quosentis Natural Extracts.

Mignardises: the delicious Macaroons of Mic Mac Macaroons by Bruno Laffargue

The students at Lycée Paul Augier are wonderful!

For this first gala dinner on the theme of La Cuisine Spectacle to open the festival, the recipes of the chefs Maîtres Restaurateurs were implemented and served by the students from the Lycée Paul Augier, the Hotel and Tourism School in Nice, under the aegis of their headmaster, Denis Férault, and three teachers. Around fifty gastronomy students worked in the kitchen and in the dining room to create an exceptional gastronomic dinner where open space furnace and entertainment made the dinner “La Cuisine Spectacle” unforgettable. It was the feeling of the Mayor Colette Fabron who described this dinner as “moments of pure happiness”!

Prestigious partners

The Maîtres Restaurateurs’ dinner included prestigious partners in the field of wines and spirits. As an aperitif, Champagne Philipponnat was served by three sommeliers from the Lycée Paul Augier in Nice. The red nectar of Domaine de Gabriel Meffre accompanied the meat: Gigondas Domaine de Longue Toque 2015. The wines from Domaine de Rimauresq Rosé and White subtly accompanied the chefs’ dishes.

Auron, a village ski resort

Less than an hour and a half from the Côte d’Azur, at the gateway to the Mercantour National Park, the resort of Auron at an altitude of 1,600 m, offers a 135 km ski area over 4 sectors: Las Donnas, Sauma Long, Demandols and Lieuson, with 43 tracks, including 9 black, 15 red, 16 blue and 3 green. For a holiday that harmoniously combines skiing, conviviality, relaxation, authenticity and entertainment, the festival Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron brings a gastronomic touch, highlighting the winter, the summits and local produce.

At the end of the sumptuous gastronomic dinner of the Maîtres Restaurateurs, a teacher from the Lycée Paul Augier, Claude Desquien, offered the guests a surprise gift: a superb interpretation of the unforgettable Edith Piaf‘s Milord.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
From 18 to 24 January 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée and St Dalmas Le Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, the Maîtres Restaurateurs Dinner in pictures

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Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron – ninth edition – will make the emblematic ski resort of the Mercantour the Capital of Mountain Gastronomy from 18 to 24 January 2020, with chefs Noëlle and David Faure as godmother and godfather.

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2020 was inaugurated on Saturday 18 January by an exceptional line-up of Maîtres Restaurateurs Chefs who demonstrated their culinary talents. Victor Delpierre, Barista/Cocktail World Champion, and the students from the Lycée Paul Augier in Nice, completed this tasty and festive show, placed under the sign of conviviality and friendship.

Mountain Bio and Locavore

For a week, under the honorary presidency for the first time of a couple of chefs, Noëlle and David Faure from SensÔriel in Nice, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron deploy their talents through the many restaurants in the Mercantour and Vallée de la Tinée resorts. Around the Auron skating rink, the female chefs (five this year) and chefs host gourmet happy hour, show cooking, cooking classes and other tastings. The “piano” virtuosos put the spotlight on Bio and Locavore to honour the gastronomic riches and quality products that the mountains and valleys of the Haut Pays abound with.

A couple of amazing chefs

Love and gastronomy, generosity and conviviality for the 9th edition of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron! The event is sponsored by a couple of chefs with a particularly bubbling creative culinary genius: Noëlle and David Faure. David and Noëlle, his accomplice in adventure, share the same passion and take great pleasure in innovating, diverting and revisiting tradition. The culinary art of the chefs, united in the city as well as in the kitchen, gives Nissarde cuisine new tastes and colours, sometimes plunging their spatulas into molecular cuisine to juggle textures and colours and exalt aromas, all with a keen sense of showmanship.

Affordable gourmet meals

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, the high altitude culinary event in the spectacular snow-capped peaks of the Mercantour in the Southern Alps, celebrates mountain gastronomy from Saturday to Thursday with the greatest chefs from the coast. The restaurants in the resorts of Auron, Saint-Damas-le-Selvage and Saint-Étienne de Tinée welcome in their kitchens many renowned Chefs and Pastry Chefs from the region.
Every evening, three different pastry chef duos officiate in three restaurants to create an exceptional dinner. In a warm and authentic atmosphere, holidaymakers, seasonal workers and the inhabitants of the valley have the opportunity to taste sumptuous gourmet menus at the privileged and unique price of 45 euros. Composed of an appetizer, a starter, a main course and a dessert, the menus are sure to delight the taste buds of fine gourmets.

Inauguration around love, passion and sharing

The job of a chef or pastry chef is a job of love, passion and sharing. This was demonstrated by the generous chefs at the inauguration of the Chefs au Sommet d’Auron on the central square in the presence of Colette Fabron, Mayor of Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée Auron, Eric Barale, Deputy Mayor of Auron and Michel Guillot, President of the Tourist Office of the Mercantour resorts and organiser of the Mountain Gastronomy Festival.
The chefs shared their exceptional know-how and their passion for the profession, sprinkled with grains of snow and friendship, for the greatest pleasure of skiers and tourists who love high mountains and good gastronomy. The inauguration began with an initiation for the children to the mixing of tastes to create a fruit juice drink, with shaker mixing, hosted by the resort’s mascot, Victor Delpierre.

Show cooking around the ice rink

As a gourmet appetizer for the Chefs au Sommet d’Auron, the Maîtres Restaurateurs of the Alpes Maritimes, represented by Théo Mansi, their President, delighted the many gourmets who came to attend the inauguration. On the tasting menu: Strudel of Duck confit with apples, cinnamon, grapes by Stéphane Furlan, Le Sansot in Tourrettes sur Loup, Risotto with Mercantour saffron by Théo Mansi, from the Maîtres Restaurateurs and fresh local goat’s cheese, Pickles of black radish and small spelt by Guillaume Arragon from Le Bistrot Gourmand in Cannes. Jérôme Clavel from Le 44 in Antibes and his brilliant second Mylène Treizières were also on hand to create these delicacies.

Le Riounet: a cocktail, three universes

The warm afternoon concluded with the invigorating notes of the tasty Riounet, the cocktail by the talented and endearing Victor Delpierre, Barista/Cocktail World Champion, who created this beverage, which has become the official drink of the resort, during Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron 2018. This harmonious summit drink can be sipped cold after a nice summer walk in the mountains, or savoured as a grog or mulled wine after a day on the snowy slopes, or as an after-ski comfort drink. This same cocktail, completed at 50% with a bubble, Champagne, Crémant or Prosecco, becomes a great aperitif cocktail that will accompany your most beautiful festive moments. The Riounet is composed of Triple Sec, created in 1834 by Jean-Bapiste Combier, artisan chocolate maker and confectioner, in stills set up by Gustave Eiffel, still in use today, Chocolate Distillation, Cocoa Cream, to be mixed with pressed Lemon and Orange Juice.

Gala Dinner “La Cuisine Spectacle”

The chefs’ week of generosity and sharing began with a symphony of refined dishes concocted by young Maîtres Restaurateurs. For the first time, the Maîtres Restaurateurs of the Alpes Maritimes prepared the menu for the sumptuous gala dinner on the theme of La Cuisine Spectacle for a hundred guests at the opening of the festival. The recipes were implemented and served by students from the Lycée Paul Augier, the Hotel and Tourism School of Nice, under the aegis of their headmaster, Denis Férault, and an educational team. About fifty students in gastronomy and their teachers worked in the kitchen and in the dining room to create an exceptional gastronomic dinner where “open space” stoves and animations made the dinner La Cuisine Spectacle unforgettable.

Gourmet after ski, workshops and conferences

In addition to the four-handed dinners – a chef and a pastry chef – every evening, Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron offer a rich programme of gourmet after-skiing, workshops and conferences every day from 19 to 24 January 2020. Starting at 4pm around the Auron ice rink, many activities await locals and tourists who love gastronomy: sweet and savoury workshops for young and old, conferences, culinary demonstrations with the Chefs, signing sessions… While parents are at the workshops’ stoves, their little devils can, depending on their mood, play apprentice cooks like mummy and daddy by making one of their favourite dishes or attend culinary demonstrations and fun workshops in the “P’tits Chefs” workshops.

Relaxation and a touch of madness

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron invite you to a six-day gourmet feast to be enjoyed without moderation, around an amazing recipe based on the flavours of our mountains, snow, sun, relaxation, plus a touch of madness and good humour for a real cure of flavours and well-being at the top of the Mediterranean Alps.

YesICannes.com is Media Partner of Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron

Les Chefs au Sommet d’Auron
From 18 to 24 January 2020
Restaurants in Auron, St Etienne de Tinée and St Dalmas Le Selvage
Information: Auron Tourist Office
+33 (0)4 93 23 02 66

www.auron.com

Maîtres Restaurateurs Kick Off the 2020 Chefs au Sommet d’Auron in pictures

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