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are here, in this unassuming, beautiful village, I’ll have to
seewhere the produce comes from. I decide thatmeans
goingfishingwith the restaurants’ provider of lavaret,
fishermanOlivier Parpillon. It’s also a 3amwake-up call.
Until a fewyears ago, Olivier worked inanoffice, but he
gave it up for this life, whichhe loves – spending80hours a
weekdoingwhat his grandfather and father didbefore him.
“Things haven’t changed in 100 years,” he reflects, “except
now the boats andnets are plastic.”As he pulls the nets in,
unwindingnylon strands fromgillswith strong, practised
fingers; throwing still-squirmingbodies into crates, the
lake sunrise a stunningbackdrop, it’s easy to seewhyhe
loves this life: despite the hardwork, there’s somethingvery
special about living a life unchanged for centuries.
After our return, there’s just time to squeeze inonemore
Michelin-starredmeal. As LaGrange à Sel (
lagrangeasel.
com
) was closed, it was easy to chooseAuberge Lamartine
(
lamartine-marin.com
) and sohere I am, staring at the
plate of fish, risotto and lobster foam.MyWaterloo, the
final straw– and thena thought occurs. Beckoning the
waiter over, he confirms that, yes, this fishwas bought from
Olivier Parpillon thatmorning. Lake todish in four hours.
And there’smy answer to the question that broughtme
here. The chefswho come to this tiny village are drawnnot by
the bright lights of a big city or newcooking fad, but to a place
where the ingredients are second tonone, their freshness
unparalleled, their productionhonedover centuries. And the
dinerswho come here?Very, very luckypeople indeed.
Formore informationon theSavoie regionand its food, visit
savoie-mont-blanc.com
Above
, chef Alain Pérrillat of
Atmosphères;
below,
chef Pierre
Marin of Lamartine
GENEVA
Michelin-starred restaurants in
in theSavoieMont-Blanc region
17.4million kilos of Reblochon
cheese are produced annually
from53 destinations. See our
insider guide on page 136.
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Year Patek Philippe invented
the wristwatch inGeneva
Geneva’s ranking inthe list of
Europe’s largest lakes
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