At the top of the bends of the Frère-Joseph road, the forest becomes denser, the air crisper, and a large contemporary chalet emerges between the fir trees. Behind its bay windows, tables facing the peaks announce a chic mountain refuge where you come to end a day of walking. The gourmet stroll almost reaches its goal.
We are in the Hautes Vosges, above the village of Ventron, where the old station was transformed into a mountain domain. At the heart of the site, the Chalet Frère Joseph, a 5-star hotel-spa, houses an all-wooden room where the Moselle chef Benoît Podevin officiates. This last stage of the route combines mountains, terroir and haute cuisine.
Gourmet stroll to the Le M Ventron restaurant
The restaurant Le M Ventron is nestled in the Chalet Frère Joseph, at the end of the route de Frère-Joseph, 88310 Ventron. You can reach it by car, via a final climb between spruce trees and meadows, before discovering this contemporary refuge set between sky and fir trees. Inside, wood dominates, the lines are clean, the bay windows open onto the Vosges forests.
The atmosphere evokes a large family home more than a palace. “Former” dining room director of the house, Christophe Jacquot extends the Leduc spirit with precise but relaxed service, bread to share in the center of the table and aperitif pieces served in a vegetable setting. And then this warm tone makes you want to extend the evening after the hike.
From Brother Joseph to the Mountain Estate with Benoît Podevin
The history of the site dates back to the 18th century, when Pierre-Joseph Formet, who became Brother Joseph, settled around 1748 as a hermit in these forests of Ventron. Around its hermitage was born a farm inn taken over in 1922 by Émile Leduc, then a family resort which officially became the Frère-Joseph resort in 1961, before the ski lifts finally stopped after the winter of 2020.
In 2022, Alexandre Keff and Pierre Singer bought the site and created the Domaine de Montagne, which opened in 2025 with the Chalet Frère Joseph, a 5-star hotel-spa. They installed Benoît Podevin there, a Mosellan trained in several star establishments. , he tells Food et Sens. With chef Maximilian Tröbs, he won the first M au star in 2026 after only ten months of cooking.
Organize a stopover at Le M restaurant and Chalet Frère Joseph
On his arrival in Ventron, the chef leaves to meet the producers of the Vosges and neighboring regions; pigeons, beef, cheeses and wild herbs come from the local region. , he summarizes.
On each plate, the product leads the dance, carried by a sauce that plays a central role. , insists the chef, with arctic char confit in whey, textured zucchini or roast Vosges pigeon.
Where is the restaurant Le M Ventron?
The M is within the Chalet Frère Joseph, route de Frère-Joseph in Ventron, in the heart of the Vosges forests.
Is the restaurant Le M in Ventron starred?
Yes, the M obtained a first star in 2026, after ten months.
Who runs the kitchen at Le M Ventron restaurant?
The cuisine is by Benoît Podevin, accompanied by chef Maximilian Tröbs.
Sources
- Beauty Test
“This star mountain refuge changes the end of any gourmet getaway in the Vosges and you should take advantage of it quickly”
