Hubert Chanove

Born close to Lake Geneva in Thonon, the chef grew up in the village of Machilly.
As a child, he would join his father, Jean-Marie Chanove, in the kitchen. Hubert loved discovering new things. His father sought to stimulate this curiosity. He introduced him to colours, aromas and flavours in particular.
Now a father himself, Hubert is doing the same with his daughter. He’s passing on to her his love of discovering new things!

As a great fan of cooking, he went directly to the hotel management schools in Bonneville and Thonon to be trained in the art of fine dining.
Once he graduated, he set off to do seasonal work in restaurants across France.
For six years, he honed his culinary skills through the seasons, drawing on his experiences to enhance his own cuisine.

In March 2014, Hubert decided to return to Machilly and help his father in the kitchen. Father and son worked together to make Le Refuge des Gourmets work! He became committed to the family business and approached local producers to supply the restaurant.
“You slowly get caught up in it. You discover local producers’ products and then you realise that you don’t need to go to big cities because you have everything you need to cook here,” he admits.
For Hubert, his cuisine is a way to showcase local producers.

“A cook can produce nothing extraordinary without good quality ingredients.”
The Monts du Genevois region has a wide range of products, from meat to fish from the lake, to cheese and vegetables…and that’s without forgetting the wild herbs!

We mentioned those a little earlier, remember?
The words which best describe Hubert’s culinary world is inspired by plants. He handles plants like spices. His driving passion is to use the natural properties of herbs so that they interact perfectly with his dishes. He builds up the taste around them.

It’s a simple and uncomplicated style of cuisine!