Le Montagnard, a restaurant born from a former family stable at the foot of the pistes

From a family stable to a restaurant: four generations of history

The building that now houses the restaurant originally belonged to Nicolas Jay, Lucie Suchet's great-grandfather. He kept five cows and 10 goats there, storing hay in the loft above. Nicolas Jay served as mayor of the commune in the 1960s and was among the pioneers who founded the valley's ski resorts.

In 1999, three of his grandsons — Éric Suchet, his cousin Bruno and his brother Thierry — turned the stable into a restaurant. They named it Le Montagnard from the outset. Lucie Suchet, then nine or ten years old, remembers playing in the hay in those early years. Her brother, Valentin Suchet, took over as director of the restaurant in 2015 and works to preserve its atmosphere and spirit. Lucie and Valentin Suchet now represent the fourth generation of the family to run the restaurant, working alongside local producers and artisans with whom they share values of sincerity, quality and respect for the seasons.

Regional cooking, a signature dish and short supply chains

The restaurant's signature dish is the paillasse, a gratin of grated potatoes, bacon lardons and mushrooms topped with goat's cheese. It has featured on the menu since the restaurant opened. For dessert, the thin apple tart is regularly recommended.

The cooking is reworked and modernised, with plates presented differently by season: decorated with edible flowers in summer and pine cones in winter. Sourcing relies on short supply chains. A permaculture garden at the Chez Pépé Nicolas restaurant, in Les Menuires, supplies courgettes, onions, shallots and salad leaves. Before these crops ripen, in June, some of the supply comes from Magali, Lucie Suchet's aunt. The restaurant also uses a goat's cheese raclette made by Valentin Suchet at the Chez Pépé Nicolas farm. For other produce, the restaurant sources within a radius of about 50 kilometres as the crow flies, to reduce its carbon footprint.

Family identity and refurbishment plans

Lucie Suchet grew up on site before leaving to study business, followed by a master's degree at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon. She then worked as reservations manager for the MGM group, before returning to the family restaurant in July 2021 as operations manager.

The family is considering interior refurbishment work, aiming to reorganise the dining room and add one or two extra tables. Magali, Lucie Suchet's aunt, is set to work on the decor, with instructions to preserve the restaurant's atmosphere.

Key points

1. The restaurant building was originally a stable belonging to Nicolas Jay, great-grandfather of the Suchet family and former mayor of the commune in the 1960s.
2. The restaurant was founded in 1999 by three of Nicolas Jay's grandsons and is now run by the fourth generation of the family, Lucie and Valentin Suchet.
3. The restaurant's signature dish is the paillasse, a gratin of grated potatoes, bacon lardons, mushrooms and goat's cheese.
4. Some of the vegetables used come from a permaculture garden at the Chez Pépé Nicolas restaurant, in Les Menuires, supplemented by local sourcing within a radius of about 50 kilometres.
5. The operations manager, who returned to the family restaurant in July 2021, studied business before completing a master's degree at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon.