Le Corbeleys, a family mountain pasture chalet turned mountain restaurant in Les 3 Vallées

A mountain pasture chalet turned restaurant

The family's great-grandparents built the Corbeleys chalet on a plateau suited to grazing livestock. For more than 120 years it served as a mountain pasture: Martine's grandparents drove their animals up there in spring, summer and autumn, an hour's drive from their home village, Saint-Marcel. The chalet takes its name from its proximity to a forest of rowan trees, sometimes called the "bird tree" because jackdaws, blackbirds and sparrows come to feed on its red fruit, the rowan berries.

In 1985, as the Les 3 Vallées ski area expanded in the Saint-Martin-de-Belleville area, Martine and her siblings repaired the chalet and turned it into a mountain restaurant. Old photographs of their grandparents now hang on the walls.

Cooking rooted in family recipes

The head chef is Nicolas Laberousse. He arrived in 2002 and spent nine consecutive winters at Le Corbeleys, at a time when the restaurant did not yet open in summer. He then worked in Albertville for seven years before returning to settle in Les Menuires, where he now lives year-round and works at the restaurant even during the off-season.

The restaurant's signature dish is the quiche mémé, made to the recipe of Martine's grandmother, known as mémé Nini, and passed down since to the restaurant's cooks. Croziflette and diots des Belleville are also among the typically Savoyard dishes served.

Among the desserts, the tarte Géfrian, topped with crème brûlée, is highlighted as a top recommendation. It also features in the "gourmandise du pépé", a selection of three desserts that also includes the family's rissoles and the farçon — made from ten ingredients including apples, raisins, brioche, gingerbread, eggs and milk — served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Sourcing built on local produce

The restaurant works with fresh produce and follows the seasons for fruit and vegetables. Suppliers include the Ferme de la Trantsa, at Le Châtelard in the Saint-Martin-de-Belleville area, and the Maison Rullier, in Séez, for crozets. For wine, the restaurant sources from Savoyard growers, offering wines from the region.

Ingredients featured daily include diots, tomme de Savoie, polenta and crozets, plain or buckwheat.

Key points

1. The restaurant occupies a family mountain pasture chalet that served as a pasture for more than 120 years before being turned into a restaurant in 1985.
2. The manager, who has run the establishment since 1985, leads the restaurant with her brother, who joined after a career as a ski instructor.
3. The head chef, who arrived in 2002, first worked nine consecutive winters before a spell in Albertville, then a return to Les Menuires, where he lives year-round.
4. The signature dish, the quiche mémé, follows the recipe of the manager's grandmother; the standout dessert is the tarte Géfrian, topped with crème brûlée.
5. Sourcing relies on named local suppliers, including a farm at Le Châtelard, in the Saint-Martin-de-Belleville area, and a company specialising in crozets, in Séez.