Michelin-Starred Restaurant

Yoann Conte, a tale told by “word of mouth”

June 2025

5 min.

“The Saga of Michelin-Starred Restaurants Around Lake Annecy” continues with Chef Yoann Conte, a two Michelin star chef since February 2013.

Insatiably determined, Yoann Conte is one of those incredibly generous top chefs who express their personality through their unique cuisine, where flavor tells you everything you need to know, and the proof is in the pudding. His cooking is a genuine stew of emotion that blends on the surface, creates a tasty bouillon just underneath, leaving in its wake a wonderful story overflowing at the brim.

Origins

Yoann Conte forged his identity during childhood through a series of trials, tribulations, and perils without ever giving up. At fifty-one years young, he looks fondly upon the child he was and with pride upon the lengthy road traveled. His cooking has taken him on the most extraordinary journey, and today he always chooses to wander off the beaten path to find balance, without ever forgetting the key moments that brought him here.

A few emotional roller coasters, a fierce desire to express himself, hypersensitive yet somewhat reserved, Yoann Conte’s heart is filled with those who left a long-lasting impression all throughout his personal journey. Brief encounters and powerful bonds, unlikely yet long-lasting friendships, and his roots nourished by life’s essentials, Yoann Conte has crossed paths with a whole host of remarkable and amazing people.

Starting with his grandmothers, one in Lorraine who has a house in Normandy, and the other in Brittany who lives off the grid and where he would spend quite a bit of time, long enough for his parents to find their way. The arid nature of life in Brittany and the bitter nature of farming life experienced firsthand, far from his parents, and the gut-wrenching feeling of being so alone so young, marked him for life.

From the lunch counter restaurant near Luneville that his parents ran and owned, with his father in the kitchen and his mother at the bar, Yoann stored away in the back of his mind the “unique smells emanating from the kitchen and the smiles of their customers”. When the whole affair went bust, his father retained faith in his profession and in one of his favorite regions, Haute-Savoie.

Settling down in Chamonix, his parents opened a new establishment, and when Yoann joined them, he quickly warmed up to the idea of becoming a cook just like his father. Traditional public school appealed little to the young man, and as it happens, the feeling was mutual.

Before spending all his time in the kitchen, he hit the road early on, embarking on a variety of adventures to earn money. He started off as a pool boy in Corsica at the young age of thirteen, to pay for a trip to Miami to be able to visit his then-girlfriend, Astrid. And when someone stole all his money, he came up with an inventive way to earn it back: by creating a side business, cooking a variety of pasta dishes to rebuild his depleted savings.

On the right path

Learning through experience, summers spent in Miami with his heart a-flutter, and a clear idea simmering in the back of his mind that took root when he entered the Thonon School of Hospitality. His first, not-so-discreet steps toward joining a friend in one of Marc Veyrat’s many kitchens were soon interrupted by a stint in the navy to fulfill France’s mandatory military service, where he found himself cooking simple meals for fellow sailors.

Back at the Auberge de l’Eridan restaurant where the chef in the black hat had just earned his third Michelin star, the kitchen’s high-pressure atmosphere buzzed at a breakneck pace. Needing a little room to breathe, the free-spirited Yoann Conte continued to travel, spending time in New York City and then working alongside several great chefs, including Didier Oudill in Biarritz, Thierry Marx in Paris, Pierre Carrier in Chamonix, and Laurent Petit in Annecy. He eventually returned to lake country. By then, Marc Veyrat had already started looking for his replacement, to hand over the reins of his legendary Maison Bleue restaurant. “And there, just like in the movie ‘Les Bronzés’, I said to myself, ‘forget that you don’t have a chance and just go for it You never know, through a simple misunderstanding it just might work.’”

And it worked! “At the beginning, we continued to follow in Marc’s footsteps, and then little by little, I found my own way. It all went so quickly: we earned our first Michelin star within six months and the second two years later in 2013.” After spending years roaming about, Yoann Conte finally decided to settle down. He met his wife, Elodie, who manages the entire establishment; they have two children and just celebrated their fifteenth year at La Maison.

The time then came to reassess the situation. On the one hand, television coverage woke up his inner child, and on the other hand, a serious accident turned his world upside down. His dream of passing on his knowledge began to take shape in the back of his mind. Being hyperactive by nature means his mind is always buzzing with a million ideas a minute, like blending La Maison Bleue’s high-end cuisine with a “ready to eat” style cooking, and why not even a traveling version?

A life to look back on that requires taking stock of the situation, and La Maison Bleue as a beacon that continues to shine, while also placing the spotlight on new figures like executive chef Julien Valèro and head sommelier Bastien Debono. Stepping back just enough to let others shine, without ever giving up the bold cooking style that reflects his personality.

Taking flight

At the La Table de Yoann Conte** restaurant and on the wood tables whose centerpieces include sculptures of the surrounding mountains, eating is designed to be a total experience. With its unpretentious, cozy lodge yet festive character, Yoann Conte creates a truly unique atmosphere at his restaurant. This led to him earning the 2024 Chef of the Year award, quite the accomplishment, and allowing Yoann the chance to express his true self, his emotions, his humanity, and reconcile with his humble beginnings, from Brittany’s coastal region to Haute-Savoie and the Northern French Alps.

Through the “Lac et Montagne” (Lake and Mountains) set menu, Yoann expresses the essence of what it means to be “Savoyard”: fish from the lake as well as local cheeses and salted meats. With the “Effet Mer” (Sea Farer) set menu, he explores his other favorite environment, the maritime countryside, with fond childhood memories of seafood auctions where, while hard to believe, some (un)lucky lobsters went unsold. A sense of balance finally emerges, filled with the distinct, pure flavors of the authentically sourced ingredients.

"Boneless pike – fish sticks from childhood"

For those who love the expression, “While food may nourish the body, great cuisine feeds the soul,” the chef’s sole purpose is to highlight the ingredients while preserving their purity and essence. And in this case, he still enjoys having fun in the kitchen, drawing upon the timeless symbols of his fond childhood memories: Paille d’Or raspberry wafers with Petit Gervais sorbet, the marmot on the chocolate bar wrapper, and the fishbowl for Maurice’s chocolate-mousse-loving goldfish; throwbacks to yesteryear’s memories filled with emotion.

At his other restaurant, Le Roc, he champions great, authentic, simple, and affordable cuisine, sharing with La Table its sense for what is essential.

A wonderful blend of nature and the culinary arts, Yoann Conte’s delectable dishes and unique cuisine provide a glimpse into his past. A morsel of boneless pike that melts in your mouth, crisp gingerbread croutons and the licorice sticks reminiscent of afternoons spent watching cartoons as a kid, a cool green sauce evoking the lush verdant world where snails thrive, and iconic sweetbreads as a nod to a typical and traditional meal found on a farmer’s table. Through these creations, he transforms memories into taste, aromas, and emotion; a subliminal message from the past, brought vividly into the present.

In this hidden alcove at La Maison Bleue, right next to the kitchen, the sensory experience spreads throughout the hallways of the four-star hotel, with its breathtaking views of Lake Annecy and the surrounding mountains, as the latter seem to plunge straight into the crystal-clear blue waters. History is in the making with a team in the kitchen following the slightly kooky, slightly idiosyncratic footsteps of their chef as they cook their way to greatness.