On the heights of Megève, the light has returned to Flocons de Sel. After a long closure for renovations, the house of Emmanuel and Kristine Renaut has reopened its doors, still run by a three-star Michelin chef, 5 Toques Gault et Millau and Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2004. Behind this list, however, one question remains central for him: how to keep your freedom as a cook when everything pushes you to grow and become structured.
Because over the years, the couple has built a veritable ecosystem of mountain restaurants, from Megève to Chamonix, to Switzerland and Santorini. But for Emmanuel Renaut, this expansion is only worth it if it allows him to stay behind the stove and defend a simple idea, which has become his crest: freedom, for him as for his clients.
Flacons de Sel, mother house and mountain refuge
Established in its current site since 2008, Flocons de Sel has established itself as a mountain house more than a simple gourmet restaurant. Around it, Emmanuel and Kristine Renaut have developed Flocons Village, La Cave à Manger, the Auberge du Bois Prin in Chamonix, Le Garde-Manger, Le Prieuré taken over in 2024, and soon Le Boitet in Saint-Gervais. In an interview with Nouvelles Gastronomiques, the chef sums up the closure for work in one sentence:
During this interlude, he insisted on retaining his colleagues. He recalls: . Some have been there for fifteen or twenty years, one is approaching thirty years of presence. This loyalty creates an almost instinctive functioning in the kitchen, where a few words are enough to convey an intention. The reopening was also an opportunity to review equipment, ergonomics and energy consumption, always to better serve this freedom of action in the kitchen.
In restaurants, the freedom to choose as a principle
Faced with the trend for unique menus and very structured services, Emmanuel Renaut takes a clear position: . He adds: Some regulars give him carte blanche, others come back for classics, still others only want a large dish, a cheese and a dessert. , he insists.
This flexibility requires a much more complex organization than an imposed route. Teams must anticipate, master several registers, change pace in an instant. Concretely, requests can range from:
- a menu entirely improvised around the market and the garden;
- a meal centered around a long-awaited signature dish;
- a short formula for a hotel guest looking for simplicity.
For the chef, accepting this complexity means remaining an innkeeper and restaurateur, and asking the profession a question: how far can we reduce the choice without changing the nature of hospitality.
When the mountain imposes its tempo on Emmanuel Renaut
Here, nature does not serve as a backdrop. A salad picked a few hours earlier, beans from the garden, char or crayfish freshly brought in can modify the evening menu. During the maintenance, the drought was felt, with few mushrooms and very low streams. Faced with these limits, the chef decides: He also notes that customers now come for féra, arctic char, vegetables, alpine herbs, more than lobster or turbot.
His growing interest in plants is not just a fad; he sees more creative possibilities and a response to changing resources. Character-wise, he describes himself: Over time, he assures, he has . Meilleur Ouvrier de France since 2004, obtained after three attempts, he summarizes: Between companionship, masters like Marc Veyrat, Joël Robuchon or Paul Bocuse and trips to Japan, he has built a very personal mountain identity, which he transmits today to his teams and his elders, proud to stand on their own two feet.
Who is Emmanuel Renaut?
Emmanuel Renaut is a French chef with three Michelin stars, Meilleur Ouvrier de France since 2004 and 5 Toques Gault et Millau. He runs Flocons de Sel, a hotel-restaurant located on the heights of Megève, and several additional houses in the mountains.
Where is the Flocons de Sel restaurant located?
Flocons de Sel is located above Megève, in Haute-Savoie, in a very open setting on the mountain, with a view of the reliefs and a vegetable garden which nourishes the gastronomic table.
What is special about Emmanuel Renaut’s cuisine?
Its cuisine is profoundly Alpine: lake fish like féra and arctic char, garden vegetables, wild herbs, but also game, picking and products dictated by the season and the weather.
Why do we talk about freedom when it comes to Flocons de Sel?
Emmanuel Renaut defends the freedom of the customer, refuses the single menu and practices permanent tailor-made according to desires, while letting nature and the climate guide his menus.
