A recently released video provides a first glimpse into celebrated French chef Yannick Alléno’s newest venture, the relaunch of a Michelin-starred restaurant at a luxury ski resort in the French Alps, and the reason for his departure from five-star Paris hotel Le Meurice.
Yannick Alléno: The French Revolution on Nowness.com.
Last month, Alléno put the rumor mill to rest when he confirmed that he was leaving the luxury hotel after a 10-year residency, which saw the Restaurant Le Meurice gain three Michelin stars under his direction.
His new home? Cheval Blanc’s in-house restaurant Le 1947, named after what the French winery Chateau Cheval Blanc calls its “most prestigious and sought-after vintage”, Cheval Blanc is owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Chandon (LVMH).
The Paris chef now makes his home in Courchevel, also dubbed the “St. Tropez” of winter sports and getaway to the stars, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Beckham family, the Saudi royal family, George Clooney and the King of Morocco.
Against the soundtrack of Alpine winds and crunching snow-steps, meanwhile, Alléno is captured by filmmaker Frédéric Guelaff putting the final touches on Le 1947 dishes, a menu that hinges on the chef’s current gastronomic obsession: flavour extraction, whether it be through sauces or jus.
The result, says Nowness, is foods with optimised flavours such as truffled bread and essence of smoked parmesan.
Or, in the words of Alléno: “I believe cooking is a moment of concentration, and the longer the gustative moment the more perfect and intact the memory of food will be.”
Meanwhile, Courchevel 1850 (named after its altitude in meters) is home to eight Michelin-starred eateries including Le Chabichou, Le Strato, and Pierre Gagnaire pour les Airelles.