“Working on taste and greed, adding local flavours” is the art of Fabien Laprée (on the left), 39 years old and MOF finalist in 2018. Although it was his father who gave him a taste for cooking, Fabien was attracted to starred gastronomy from a very young age and trained with some of the great names in the field, including Christian Sinicropi at the Martinez (Cannes), Franck Ferigutti at Terre Blanche and Château Saint-Martin, and Davy Tissot at the Institut Paul Bocuse (Lyon). In addition to the technique, they taught him “to surpass himself and to question himself in order to be better every day”. Since then, this has remained his motto. It is “the desire to fly on his own wings, and the intimate, luxurious and family atmosphere of the Armancette”, which led him here, in the privileged setting of Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, in Haute Savoie. The man who was destined to be a fighter pilot or motorbike pilot is now in charge of 2 restaurants: La Table d’Armante, a convivial gastronomic address, and Le Mont Joly, more in the bistro spirit.

Gauthier Chaffard (on the right) is a passionate man who has transferred his interest in watchmaking to pastry-making. He found his taste for precision by chance in his choice of training: just as in watchmaking, the chef’s sleight of hand demonstrates a strict mastery of the ingredients, perfectly combined and dosed. His skills were honed by working with top chefs in luxury establishments, particularly at the Auberge du Père Bise in Talloires, where he worked with Christophe Le Digol, Franck Fleurance, Sophie Bise and of course Madame Bise. “I learned humility, but also management,” he says, stressing that team management is one of his priorities.