Val Thorens, Europe’s highest ski centre is situated 2,300m up – good news for snow cover but it provides particular challenges for chefs working in the resort’s burgeoning foodie scene. So it’s quite an achievement that this year the resort has added its third Michelin starred chef.
The challenges of cooking at Val Thorens’ high altitude include the fact that water boils at 90°C instead of 100°C so boiling an egg takes twice as long as usual. Also, due to the low humidity rate, bread dries very quickly and packaged food sometimes explode because of the high level of air pressure. Wine also matures more quickly and of course products can’t always be delivered on time when access roads are blocked by the snow.
Val Thorens newest Michelin star has been awarded to chef Jéremy Gillon who works at the Montana restaurants. He has joined the resorts existing Michelin starred chefs , twice-Michelin starred Relais & Châteaux ‘Grand Chef’ Jean Sulpice and Eric Samson, head chef at the 5-star Koh-I Nor.