This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Luxury, calm and voluptuousness. Since 1954, the independent establishments that are members of the Relais Châteaux network have represented the quintessence of the hotel and catering industry. On what elements is this one-of-a-kind model based, with 580 prestigious addresses around the world? Has it stood the test of time? To find out, we went to meet the executive chefs of three of the four Relais Châteaux in Quebec.
For many cooks, managing the ovens, or even working in a Relais Châteaux, is a dream. To achieve this, most of them go through robust technical formations and large tables.
Chef Alexandre Vachon, from Manoir Hovey (Le Hatley restaurant and Le Tap Room bistro), located in North Hatley, learned his skills with Daniel Boulud. Arthur Muller, the co-chef of the Auberge Saint-Antoine (restaurant Chez Muffy and Bar Artefact), in Quebec, has worked for a dozen establishments in Europe, including the two-star Michelin restaurant Le Gavroche, in London. As for Éric Gonzalez, at the helm of the StoneHaven Le Manoir restaurant in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, he won his first star at the age of 27 at the Clairefontaine restaurant in Luxembourg and is part of the prestigious association Master Chefs of France.
“Relais Châteaux attract the cream of chefs,” admits Alexandre Vachon. It’s a network that allows them to work and, if they want, to travel while maintaining the same level of excellence. Excellence is indeed the key word for these restaurants, which are the first vectors of customer attraction, before the hotel industry. “Above all, they assure their visitors, whether in a lakeside inn like here, in an urban restaurant in New York or in a small palace in India, the guarantee of a memorable experience. We offer a cuisine of pleasure and memories,” continues the chef.
A local cuisine
Not all Relais Châteaux chefs cook in the same way, but they have the same ambition: to protect and enhance the land in which their restaurant is anchored. “We allow ourselves everything and we don’t forbid anything in terms of creation, explains Arthur Muller, but we almost only use local products. »
Not just any products, we agree. The co-chefs – Arthur Muller forms a duo with Alex Bouchard – of the Auberge Saint-Antoine have a farm and a master gardener on Île d’Orléans, about ten kilometers as the crow flies from their restaurant. They grow about thirty vegetables and fruits there organically, in addition to having beehives to produce their honey. At StoneHaven, we also want to integrate into the estate a nourishing forest capable of supplying the establishment with mushrooms, as well as vineyards and orchards.
In addition to these exclusive cultures, the chefs forge close ties with farmers, pickers, fishermen, winegrowers and artisans in Quebec. Alexandre Vachon alone buys, each year, 520 ducks and foie gras for the Manoir Hovey, as well as whole Angus and Wagyu beef, which he declines in different ways for Le Hatley (gourmet) and Le Tap Room (bistro). A local choice that is reflected in its signature dishes, including the duck egg from À la canne blanche (a farm run by two blind people), served with local caviar, fresh cream and sparkling wine, as well as a homemade brioche.
“Of the ingredients I use, 90% are from Quebec,” confirms the chef. You won’t find imported vanilla or pepper in my kitchen. I also like to take up the challenges launched annually by Relais Châteaux. For 2023, the theme is the sea, so this is an opportunity for me to introduce customers to little-known products from the St. Lawrence River and to promote our region even more. »
More than a model, a philosophy
The local, organic and ethical approach put forward in Relais Châteaux restaurants is not a fad. It is rather part of the DNA of this network (which moreover submitted, in 2014, a manifesto on the preservation of local heritage and the environment to UNESCO), to which we adhere if we share the same values. .
As Éric Gonzalez points out, “Beyond the prestige brought by this banner, there is a real reflection. Behind each dish, there is a story to tell, a message delivered. We go back to the basics: quality, traceability, self-sufficiency, ecology. In my opinion, it is very modern. »
Of course, this philosophy comes at a cost. You don’t go to a Relais Châteaux like to a local bistro, it’s a destination. And that is perhaps why we often imagine the clientele of this type of establishment originating from abroad, with graying temples and extremely wealthy. An image which is not totally false, but which must be nuanced.
“The pandemic has allowed us to reach a new, more local, younger and more family-oriented clientele,” explains Alex Bouchard. She wants to have fun, to live a complete experience. She also opts more easily than our previous visitors for the tasting menu at Chez Muffy. »
An opinion shared by Alexandre Vachon, who has also adapted his cuisine to the vegetarian, gluten-free or healthier trends displayed by his customers. “With, in addition, the opening in June of a spa at Manoir Hovey, I expect even more requests of this type and am doing a lot of tests at the moment. It pushes me to evolve and it keeps me alert, so much the better. »
So, in the end, overpriced or outdated, the Relais Châteaux model? Really not, it seems. “You know, ever since I was little, going to a restaurant has always been an event, confesses chef Vachon. And a visit to a Relais Châteaux restaurant is exactly that, a special occasion. We don’t just eat there. We live there an experience of two, three or four hours that we will remember for a long time. Therefore, whether it is once a month or once a year, I believe that this model is accessible to everyone,” he concludes.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.