À Table by Jérémie Voutaz

His first food-related memory is his grandfather’s sauerkraut, served with cured meats from Valais, which he would only eat warmed up. Despite his young age (only 21!), flashes of nostalgia flicker across Jérémie Voutaz’s face when he reflects on these precious moments spent with his family around a good meal. Cooking, for him, is above all “a beautiful moment for sharing”. “My grandfather — with his traditional recipes, his sausage with cabbage, his blackcurrant liquor, and his stories told around the table — is the one who taught me the importance of savoir faire and high-quality ingredients. My mother, meanwhile, is the one who initiated me in the art of making pastries and stews that resemble one another”.

At just 14 years old, Jérémie participated in the regional Top Chef competition while at a vocation school — which was created to help reveal young talents and encourage new career paths. He was up against 130 other students in their 11th year of school — tough competition to say the least! Jérémie advanced through all the stages and won the prize around a joyful theme: a chocolate birthday cake. “Even my chickens loved it”, he recalled, barely supressing a cheeky smile. His 500-franc prize money immediately went towards buying new kitchen knives… and filled him with “a determination to pursue a culinary career”.

Side by side with Marie Robert
Jérémie’s victory opened the door for an internship at Safran, at Eurotel in Montreux, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The pressures of the job did not dissuade him — quite the opposite. With his training completed, he contacted Marie Robert on Instagram and the famous chef of Le Café Suisse in Bex hired him as a pastry chef. For a year he progressed through his challenges. “I showed my creativity, my skills and my desire to always go above and beyond. I had a few different kitchen jobs after that. It was an amazing experience and truly memorable. My adventures with Marie and Betta reinforced my passion for gastronomy and my desire to continue to expand my skillset as a chef”, reminisced Jérémie.

His favourite saying is borrowed from Maupassant: Of all the passions, the only one that seems respectable to me is the passion for food. Jérémie was only 20 years old when he decided to launch his solo career. He chose a repurposed old barn in Étiez, in the Val de Bagnes where he had grown up, between a trough and an altar dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. Why there? For its intimate nature, which encourages conviviality.

One-man show
His rules are strict: no more than eight people per meal, seated around a single, communal table that’s almost within reach of the chef as he tends to his cooking. Restaurant? Gathering? Experience? “It’s all of those things at the same time”, responds Jérémie. “Each dish tells a story while also celebrating our region’s richest resources. It’s a welcoming and friendly ambiance that encourages people to share”. It is rather unusual to see the chef dress the plates before your eyes, tweezers in hand (his favourite tool)!

The flavours hail from the local region, “authentic, with an emphasis on seasonal, high-quality local produce”. Changing every three weeks, the unique menu — which is accompanied by a meticulously chosen selection of Valais wines — aims to surprise. It offers a journey through taste, texture and smell, which is enhanced by powerful, refined aesthetics that embrace colours and graphics. Here, it’s more than a meal: it’s a work of art.

À Table by Jérémie Voutaz
Open at noon, Wednesday-Sunday

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