Top 5: Ski resorts for foodies

Hit the slopes not just for great skiing, but food too

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Flocons de Sel: Megève, France

The only three-Michelin-starred restaurant in an Alpine ski resort, Flocons de Sel dishes up food that will delight even the most seasoned of foodies. Paris-trained chef Emmanuel Renaut prides himself on using only the freshest, most local ingredients available in timeless dishes with a colourful twist. Seasonal menus feature delights such as wild mushrooms, crayfish caught in a nearby lake and pike sourced from Lake Geneva.

Dine on local and fresh ingredients at Flocons de Sel
Flocons de Sel

Those who want to take more than a satisfied stomach away from their dining experience should enrol in one of the two-hour cooking classes taught by Chef Renaut on Thursdays to Saturdays. Participants will learn two or three dishes, enabling them to recreate a piece of the Alps in their own home.

Chez Vrony: Zermatt, Switzerland

Family-run Chez Vrony on the slopes above Zermatt is the epitome of alpine chic, with its wooden beams and rustic décor.

A short ski down the mountain takes customers straight to the doorstep, where a warming mix of traditional and modern Swiss food will impress anyone hungry enough to break from the slopes.

Enjoy lunch or dinner at the rustic Chez Vrony
Chez Vrony

Dishes such as rösti (fried, shredded potatoes) and raclette (melted cheese served with potatoes, gherkins and dried meats) are specialities, while the cheese and cured meat platter is a must-have for dinner (the cheese is homemade and the meat is cured from local organic beef). Another unmissable treat is the Vrony Burger, a crowd-pleaser that’s so huge the recommended tactic is to cut it into quarters.

Apex: Park City, Utah

Found in the luxurious Montage Deer Valley resort in Park City, Apex has everything necessary to satisfy peckish powder hounds. With a mountainside bar that serves everything from hot cocoa to cocktails and an extensive breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, guests may be forgiven for wanting to stay here all day instead of hitting the slopes.

Apex is the perfect spot for a ski break
Apex / Montage Deer Valley Resort

For lunch, sample the unique, homemade soda concoctions: the Pomegranate Sour (pomegranate juice, seltzer, and lemon) or Ginger Mint Cooler (Ginger beer, fresh mint, and lime) are sure to quench your thirst. Then venture into the rustic dining room overlooking the slopes, where there is the option to sample delicate dishes such as Utah Trout Almondine served with green beans and potatoes and topped with lemon brown butter, or to go all out and opt for the hearty 10oz. beef rib eye.

Paznaunerstube: Ischgl, Austria

Chef Martin Sieberer isn’t lacking in awards. Named Chef of Austria 2000 and the recipient of three Gault Millau Torques (the highest of any Tyrol chef in 2012), his reputation precedes him. As Executive Chef at Paznaunerstube since 1997, Sieberer has created a menu using only the highest quality food and mostly local ingredients that’s been recognised as one of the best in the Alps.

Sample Paznaunerstube's always changing menu
Paznaunerstube / Trofana Royal

Paznaunerstube, situated in the 5-star Trofana Royal hotel, offers a traditional tasting menu that varies depending on ingredients available on any given day. But, for the more adventurous, Sieberer also conjures up a ‘surprise menu’ composed of four to six dishes that are undisclosed to diners prior to being served.

Not to be outshone by the phenomenal menu, the Trofana Royal is also home to the Royal Wine Cellar, which houses over 25,000 bottles of wine and is sure to have the perfect pairing for every course.

Restaurant St. Hubertus: San Cassiano, Italy

At this acclaimed restaurant, diners are made to feel like celebrities – maybe because this charming restaurant is a hotspot for Hollywood’s A-List. The likes of George Clooney, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have all been spotted enjoying a meal at the two-Michelin-starred eatery in the Hotel & Spa Rosa Alpina.

Dine like a celebrity at St. Hubertus
St. Hubertus / Hotel & Spa Rosa Alpina

Executive Chef Norbert Niederkofler, a native of the area, has developed an exquisite menu and was rewarded with his first Michelin star in 2000 – with a second following in 2007. The unique tasting menu comes highly recommended, with mouth-watering fare including the chef’s famous suckling pig and risotto or local rabbit with alpine artichokes and polenta. The homemade sourdough bread is particularly divine and is served up with heavenly home-churned butter.