3 STAR CHEF LAURENT PETIT MICHELIN GUIDE CLOS DES SENS LAKE ANNECY

My journey

I have many strong memories of my childhood in Bussières. Delectable smells from my father’s butchery permeated the house – meat pies fresh from the oven, steaming brawn, salamis and saussison drying, blood sausages cooking, smoking pork belly, sausage meat being mixed.

Experiencing these aromas inspired my earliest fascination with the culinary world. But my first true taste of this world was with Michel Guérard in Eugénie-les Bains. Thanks to an unexpected recommendation by Nicolas de Rabaudy, I discovered a world that marvelled me.

I believe that since that day, ‘la cuisine’ has been my daily guide, it gives an immeasurable thirst for life.

My inspiration

Inspiration plats

‘Les émotions’: I am inspired every time I meet someone. I am nourished by their sensitivities, inspired by our exchanges, capture new ideas and collect new flavours.

The wilderness of Lake Annecy and the mountains and forests of the Bauges are my anchors, my endless terrain, my atmosphere. They compel me to reflect and create.

The names of fish resonate: Omble Chevalier, Féra, Perche, Lotte, Chevesne, Bouif, Boya, Lavaret, Brochet and Ecrevisse (crayfish).

CLOS DES SENS LAURENT PETIT CHEF CUISINIER 2 ETOILES GUIDE MICHELIN ANNECY RHONE ALPES 74 CUISINE LACUSTRE ET VEGETALE HOTEL RELAIS ET CHATEUX 5 ETOILES LUXE RESTAURANT GASTRONOMIQUE VUE SUR LE LAC D'ANNECY LAC LEMAN LAC DU BOURGET BAUGE CUISINE INNOVANTE

“Creativity is a state of mind, always present. It is my daily bread. An object, a texture, a word, a meeting, may inspire a new recipe.”

Laurent Petit

My cuisine ‘Lacustre & Végétale‘

I want to pay homage to the land around me and to surprise you, subtly, deeply, gently, with finesse and at length. I want to introduce you to ingredients with which you may not be familiar and to surprise you with their delicacy.

My travels to Japan have left me with a clear sense of purity, and a desire to focus on the intrinsic qualities of our ingredients, to extract their hidden flavours. In my kitchen, Perch is cooked with salt, like anchovies; fish scales are known as ‘butterfly wings’; we make ‘crayfish tea’; and use Fera fish eggs… caviar of the lake.

My promise to you? We will take you to a new level of tastes – unrefined, dazzling, startling, unexpected. When you dine with us, you let go!

‘cooking out’

After hiding in my kitchen for over twenty years, today I find great freedom and pleasure in ‘cooking out’ – meeting our diners, exploring and savouring the fruits of the land around me, promoting our producers and sharing the inspiration behind our dishes, their history and mine.

My secret garden

With the help of our gardener Lionel Perron, we have created our very own herb garden at Clos des Sens. Having this intimacy with nature serves as a constant reminder to be spontaneous. Spending time exploring our 200 herb varieties and their abundance of perfumes, is an education in patience and creativity, that evokes both memories and sparks the imagination.

Among them: the purple Shiso with its intense taste of cumin, sometimes refreshing dialogue of the pimpernel and occasionally surprising bursts of cucumber and litchi. The enigmatic Agastache, with its persistent notes of fern. The subtle tenderness of Sichuan pepper; not forgetting Cinnamon Basil; or the miniscule flower of the perennial Roquette, as petulant as the finest pepper corn; the iodine concentrate of the Borage Flower; the Physalis, Oregano; Absynthe…

THE PRODUCERS OF MY SAVOURS

Our region has a wealth of enthusiastic women and men who share a love of all that is tasty, simple and authentic with me. Attentive to quality, they care for their crops and take pride the subtlety of their savours. My thanks to Rudy Lauberton for his root chicory; Philippe Héritier for his exceptionally succulent and tasty snails; and Dominique Griot for the aromatic depths of his saffron. Thanks also to the Viret family who explained the seasonal variation of vegetables in the Albanais region, between Lake Le Bourget and Lake Annecy, and to Niels Rodin for his improbably scented citrus fruits.
And my thanks to all the others who bring magic to my days and who constantly inspire me.

OUR ECO-RESPONSIBLE APPROACH

We have carefully and intelligently done as much as we can at Clos des Sens to integrate our site and gardens with the utmost respect for nature.

All our purchases are from local suppliers, all our produce is fresh, and our carbon footprint is very low. Every morsel of fish and vegetable is used in its entirety – and our waste is dehydrated to make a fabulous compost. We use two electric vehicles to get around, and have a number of electric bicycles available for our guests to use. Our architecture, decorative elements, furniture and tableware are all crafted with local materials, resources and know-how.

My vision: to build a more responsible world, that not only respects the environment but that is more human and that celebrates our talents and hidden beauties. And of course, to share the true essence of my region, and reveal its inner spirit.

CLOS DES SENS LAURENT PETIT JARDIN PERMACULTURE

Those without whom…

My wife Martine has always played a crucial role. Demanding, she embodies all the true values of sport, particularly perfectionism. She takes care of our daily life, constantly encouraging us to progress and push the boundaries.
Together with Martine, we make sure that our teams are strong, like a closely-knit family.

Franck Derouet, my ‘Executive Chef’, is a faithful companion in culinary thought who reproduces my sensitivities day after day.
I strongly believe that valuing intelligence and talent is fundamental, and so I listen, share, transmit and am an accessory. That is the way we progress, together. The accumulation of experience and knowledge brought by everyone in the team is what makes us successful. We are constantly learning from one another.

CLOS DES SENS LAURENT PETIT CHEF CUISINIER 2 ETOILES GUIDE MICHELIN ANNECY ANNECY-LE-VIEUX SAVOIE HAUTE SAVOIE AUVERGNE RHONE ALPES 74 GENEVE CUISINE LACUSTRE ET VEGETALE HOTEL RELAIS ET CHATEAUX 5 ETOILES LUXE CHAMBRES TABLE GASTRONOMIQUE RESTAURANT GASTRONOMIQUE VUE SUR LE LAC D'ANNECY LAC LEMAN LAC DU BOURGET BAUGES CUISINE INNOVANTE FERA OMBLE CHEVALIER BROCHET ABLETTE LAVARET LOTTE CHEVESNE BREME ECREVISSE FENOUIL CUISINE LOCAVORE PRODUCTEURS DE SAVEURS HOTEL DE CHARME RECETTE PRODUITS LOCAUX SAVEURS CAVIAR LACUSTRE JARDIN AROMATIQUE CUMIN PIMPRENELLE AGASTACHE POIVRE DU SICHUAN BASILIC CANELLE FLEUR DE ROQUETTE FLEUR DE BOURRACHE ORIGAN ABSYNTHE PHYSALIS RUDY LAUBERTUN FERNAND BEL NIELS RODIN PHILIPPE HÉRITIER YOANN CONTE MARC VEYRAT JEAN SULPICE PAUL BOCUSE GEORGES BLANC ALAIN DUCASSE GUY SAVOY PIERRE GAGNAIRE ANNE-SOPHIE PIC GERALD PASSEDAT EMMANUEL RENAUT

My ‘Petits‘

Collaboration doesn’t work without mutual trust, benevolence and excellence. Passing on knowledge does not mean creating clones! My seconds (under-chefs) are invaluable, and I give them as much as they give me. When they reveal their talent, innovate and find new ways to stimulate taste buds, the satisfaction and pride I feel is immense.
I know then that the time has come for them to fly with their own wings, and I give them all the help I can to ensure their success.