By Yohann Perié, private chef
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Courchevel has no shortage of good restaurants, both in the resort and up on the slopes. So why bring a chef to the chalet? Because a ski week is not a single evening: it means seven dinners, tired children, mountain roads at night and reservations to juggle at the height of the season. Here is an honest comparison, point by point, with a word on the catered chalets offered by some agencies.
Coming back from the slopes
In the mountains, the ski day dictates everything. You get back around four, the children are frozen, and everyone wants a shower and something hot. Going out again at eight, getting changed, taking the car or the shuttle again is often one effort too many. At the chalet, afternoon tea is ready if you have asked for it, and dinner is served when everyone is ready.
Booking in peak season
During the school holidays, at Christmas, New Year or in February, booking a table for eight at 1850 takes planning, and you have to do it all over again every night of the week. With a resident chef, the question is settled once and for all when you book your stay.
The drive home at night
Between Le Praz, Village, Moriond and 1850, distances are short, but mountain roads in winter need careful driving, especially after a good dinner. At the chalet, nobody has to drive. You stay by the fire, then head up to bed.
What you actually eat
A week of eating out in the resort often means a week of melted cheese, rich dishes and hearty desserts. At the chalet, I plan the menus day by day: raclette and fondue have their place, made with cheeses from the valley, but I alternate them with lighter, more refined cooking. The produce comes from the Moûtiers dairy cooperative, the Tarentaise markets and local producers. Children's meals, allergies and special diets are settled before you arrive, and nobody goes hungry.
The budget: my side of it
I will not quote an average price for dinner in Courchevel: prices vary far too much from one restaurant to the next. What I can give you is my side of the calculation, to compare with your own restaurant bills.
My packages are charged by the day, at the same rate for 2 to 10 guests: Confort from €400 for one meal a day, Sérénité from €500 for two meals, Prestige from €600 for every meal. For ten guests, Confort works out at €40 per person per dinner for the chef's work. On top of that come the ingredients at cost against receipts, my travel, a hire car on site and my accommodation nearby. As for wine, you choose it and pay for it at whatever price you buy it.
Catered chalet or resident chef
Some agencies offer chalets let with staff who cook on site, a format common on ski holidays organised from the UK. Terms vary from one operator to another, and it is a practical solution if you want to book everything in one go.
The difference is the middleman. In these formats, the agency or concierge service recruits the chef and sets their pay, while keeping its margin on what you pay. To stay profitable, it has every reason to keep that cost down, and the level of the chef often shows it: you do not always know who will be at the stove.
With a resident chef, there is no middleman. What you pay goes to the cooking and the service, and you choose the chef yourself, someone whose background and cooking suit you, and whom you can contact and question before you book. You rent the chalet you like separately, from whoever you like. With me, the menus are put together with you, day by day, according to the market and what you fancy.
What restaurants do better
Lunch on a mountain terrace in the midday sun, dinner at one of the resort's fine establishments: eating out is also an outing, and that has its value. There is nothing to stop you keeping one or two evenings out during the week. The Confort package means you can hand over just one meal a day and keep complete freedom for the rest.
Private chef or restaurant in Courchevel: at a glance
| Criterion | Restaurant | Private chef |
|---|---|---|
| After skiing | Going out again around eight, getting changed, taking the car or the shuttle | Dinner served when it suits the household, and afternoon tea too if your package includes it |
| Booking | Needs planning in peak season, and repeating every evening | Settled once and for all when you book the stay |
| Night driving | Mountain roads in winter, after dinner | Nobody has to drive |
| On the plate | Often a week of rich dishes | Raclette and fondue have their place, alternating with lighter cooking |
| Budget | Varies from one restaurant to another | Per day, from €400, €500 or €600 depending on the package, same rate for 2 to 10 guests, plus ingredients, my travel, the hire car and my accommodation |
| The outing | A mountain terrace, a fine establishment in the resort | One or two evenings out remain possible with the Confort package |
Your questions about a private chef in Courchevel
What exactly is a catered chalet?
A chalet let with staff who cook on site, as part of a holiday sold by an agency. Terms vary from operator to operator. With a resident chef, you rent the chalet of your choice and book the chef separately, for your group alone.
Are catered chalets more luxurious?
Not necessarily. It depends on the operator and the chalet. With a middleman, part of the price goes to the agency; when you book a resident chef directly, you know who is cooking and what you are paying for.
What is the difference between a caterer and a private chef?
A caterer prepares and delivers food, or serves at an event. A resident chef settles in for the stay, cooks on site every day, adapts the menus as the week goes on and leaves the kitchen in order.
Is a private chef in Courchevel worth it?
For a group staying a week, yes: the rate is the same for 2 to 10 guests, and it takes care of the shopping, menus, service and cleaning for the whole stay.
Can we mix restaurants and a chef at the chalet?
Yes. The Confort package covers just one meal a day, so you can keep your lunches on the mountain or an evening out.
Can the chef make afternoon tea after skiing?
Yes, if your package includes it: with Sérénité, for example, you can choose afternoon tea and dinner. Something hot around four, when the children come in frozen, makes all the difference to the end of the day.
In short
Restaurants remain an occasional pleasure. A chef at the chalet takes care of meals for the whole week: no reservations, no driving at night, mealtimes that fit around the skiing, menus for everyone, and a kitchen left in order after every meal.
Everything is set out on the Courchevel page. For the full budget, read what a private chef in Courchevel costs, and if you are coming for the festive season, New Year's Eve at the chalet.
