The Chef

The Chef Stéphane Décotterd

My roots

The terroir, the Prealps and Lake Geneva are at the very heart of my career as a chef. I was born in Switzerland as the son of a local butcher, in Bulle, in the Gruyère district. I grew up at the foothills of the mountains, near the vineyards of Lavaux. My cuisine is definitely regional, sustainable and original, yet it is always evolving, unlike the water of this lake that inspires me so much.

“My cuisine has nestled naturally in our beautiful land, weaving between lakes, forests and mountains.”

– Stéphane Décotterd –

1998

The encounter

I discovered the Pont de Brent and the Michelin 3-star cuisine of Gérard Rabaey in 1998. I immediately fell in love with this restaurant on the heights of Montreux and with my future wife, Stéphanie, a young Alsatian who was working as the restaurant’s sommelier. These were good reasons for me to stay and to decide to take over this beautiful restaurant located in the centre of the charming village of Brent in 2011. From the very first year, we obtained 2 stars in the Michelin Guide and 18 points in the Gault & Millau.

My cuisine

A local, sustainable and thoughtful cuisine

After many years of cooking luxurious products from all over the world, I decided in 2018 to change my way of cooking and to offer 100% local gastronomy. This decision quickly made me realize that there was an incredible potential. I am now committed to a daily environmentally friendly approach with full traceability, working with farmers, gatherers, fishermen, breeders and winemakers. My cuisine is in perfect harmony with this fantastic Swiss terroir.

Lake Léman

Source of inspiration

I discovered all the treasures of Lake Geneva thanks to Serge Guidoux, a professional fisherman. I will always be amazed by the delicacy of the flesh of a freshly caught fera, by the firmness of a barely seared pike steak, by the crispness of a tench goujonnette and by the softness of an arctic char.

« It is a real pleasure to cook such beautiful, iridescent, delicate and soft feras. They are so fresh that we sometimes have to wait a day before serving them!»

– Stéphane Décotterd –

The Chef’s secret garden

The art of taste

Early in the morning, I like to explore the mountains of the region to find delicate wild herbs. They have become the guiding thread in my cuisine because they capture the flavours of the region in every bite.