Discover Claude Trincaz Gastronomy for 4 generations

No, it’s no mistake that the Trincaz family name is associated with several hotels and restaurants in La Chapelle d’Abondance. For four generations, the members of this emblematic family have never ceased to demonstrate their passion for cuisine and hospitality.

Today we meet Claude, 59, founder and chef of Les Gentianettes, to talk about gastronomy, career… and family, of course!

The Trincaz family

In the Trincaz family, I ask… one of the grandsons, Claude! The Trincaz family in La Chapelle d’Abondance has come up with a gourmet family game that’s not easy to get your head around. To understand the history of this emblematic La Chapelle d’Abondance family, we need to go back to 1894, when their great-grandparents transformed their farm into an inn and founded Au mont des Cornettes. In 1925, their daughter Pauline, a talented cook, and her husband, François Trincaz, took over the establishment now known as Les Cornettes.

In the next generation, Claude’s parents launchedL’Ensoleillé, now run by his brothers Laurent and Alain. And because this passion for cooking and entrepreneurship is so much a part of the DNA of each member of this veritable tribe, Claude founded Les Gentianettesin 1994 alongside his wife Nathalie. His gamble was a bit crazy: to offer a swimming pool and spa from the outset, far from the norm at the time “much to the chagrin of our accountant and with borrowing rates at 14%!

Family Sundays? We don't know Trincaz

It’s a source of pride for Claude and Nathalie, who are now taking their turn to pass on the torch. It’s also a source of pride for Claude and Nathalie, who have given them a taste for this exhilarating yet demanding profession. “We’ve never had a traditional Sunday lunch with the family,” recalls his wife, Nathalie.”When we wereteenagers, the kids would come back from their ski comp, get changed and come and give us a hand. The Trincazes may not have had a“traditional”daily life, but they passed on to their children the values of family, respect and hard work that they hold so dear. “They could have had other, easier careers, with fewer constraints… And yet they’re all here!”enthuses Claude.

A lover of cooking which shapes its sorbets as well as its charcuterie

Feelings, generosity and sharing are undoubtedly found in the DNA of the establishment. But also in Claude’s cooking. I still admire the energy and love he puts into his work,” confides Nathalie. He’s not a chef: he’s a butcher, a pastry chef, a saucier…”. In the image of his authentic village, Claude offers a generous cuisine. “Sauces are one of my specialties. Along with masterful cooking, it’s the foundation of French cuisine in my eyes.

A true artisan in the kitchen, Claude makes all his own ice creams and pastries (don’t miss his fruit de bois en croûte soup and his “galet”, a cake flocked with hazelnut mousse), as well as charcuterie, hams and dried meats… A generous epicurean, the fifty-something chef continues to attend training courses “ to rub shoulders with young people, get new ideas…”and is a member of the Association des disciples d’Escoffier, whose ambition for over 60 years has been to pass on to new generations of cooks the spirit of hard work, respect for gastronomic culture and the quest to improve discipline. Sharing, exchanging, passing on again and again… Including with his biggest fans, his granddaughters Alba, aged four, and Victoria, aged one. The first representatives of a new Trincaz generation!

Recipe for fidés by claude trincaz

A traditional dish that brings back childhood memories…

Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 shallots, 3 garlic cloves, 2 tomatoes, sunflower oil 400g vermicelli (Alpina Savoie), 1 chicken stock

Roughly chop the onion, 2 shallots, 3 garlic cloves and 2 tomatoes.
Generously place oil in a frying pan and add the onion, shallots, garlic and 400g of coarse vermicelli.
Stir continuously until the noodles are lightly colored.
At the same time, bring the water to the boil.
When the mixture is nicely colored, add the tomatoes and a chicken stock cube.
Add the boiling water to the top.
Cover and stir occasionally. When the water is absorbed (approx. 10 mins.), the fidés are ready.

Serve with ham and fried eggs or Abondance cheese.

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Discover Claude Trincaz Gastronomy for 4 generations

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