The story
In the village of Machilly, perched between Lake Geneva and the Voirons massif, Fanny and Hubert Chanove run Le Refuge des Gourmets. This is a family home first, a restaurant second—a place where the warmth of Savoyard hospitality meets a serious, plant-focused modern cuisine. The dining room is elegant yet relaxed, and the welcome is genuine.
The restaurant holds a Michelin star, an acknowledgment of Hubert Chanove’s precise, vegetable-driven cooking. The kitchen draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape: wild garlic, elderflower, woodruff, fir buds, meadowsweet, and other foraged herbs appear on the plate as the seasons shift. The menu is a direct conversation with the terroir of the Chablais region, where lake fish, alpine cheeses, and market vegetables are treated with respect and creativity.
Beyond the starred dining room, there is a bistro serving a more casual, convivial take on French classics, open for lunch Thursday through Saturday. It is a relaxed counterpoint to the gastronomic experience, with the same commitment to quality produce and attentive service.
For those who want to go deeper, the restaurant offers foraging outings on select Saturday mornings from May to early August. Guests walk the nearby forests and riverbanks with the chef, learning to identify wild plants, then return to the restaurant for a lunch where the morning’s finds appear in the dishes. It is a tangible link between the land and the plate, and a rare chance to see the landscape that shapes this modern cuisine.
Recognition
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