Taste & Terroir: A Gastronomic Adventure with Chef Christophe Aribert

A chef fully immersed 

A few miles from Grenoble, between the Vercors Massif and the Belledonne mountain range, lies Uriage-les-Bains. It is here, in this land of mountain passes, glaciers, lakes, paths and forests, that chef Christophe Aribert grew up. 

Here where his vocation was born, aged just 12, at the side of his father, a chef and hotelier, himself the son of a baker and grandson of a farmer-cum-market gardener. Here where a deep respect and unbridled love for this region emerged, which would come to be celebrated, season after season, in the kitchens of Maison Aribert.  

An omnipresent region 

It started with nature. “Strong, powerful, imposing...Much greater than us, especially in the mountains”. Nature commands respect and invites everyone to find their place in it. For Christophe Aribert, that was in the kitchen. In Uriage-les-Bains, this born-and-bred Isérois has developed an entire responsible ecosystem in which he and his teams operate. This includes restaurants, of course, but also guesthouses, beehives, gardens - “to help us envisage the long term”- and a network of local producers who, like him, have the region in their veins. This is his playground, provided one fundamental rule is observed: “I cook only what there is in my region...”  

Passionate producers 

A world of possibilities. Riches abound in Isère, like in all regions of France: Dauphiné ravioli or Ravioles du Royans, Grenoble walnuts, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage and Saint-Marcellin cheeses, blueberries, Chartreuse...and trout of course. Like those bred by Fannie Romezin and Nicolas Vidal. Fannie, like Christophe Aribert, is another native of the region, who took over the reins of her father’s business, before he decided to join her. And for good reason...  

At the foot of the high Vercors plateaus, their fish enjoy exceptional conditions: pure water, at an average of 7°C, and constant attention throughout their 4 to 5 years of growth. It is an extensive fish farming operation, born out of respect for the environment and for the fish - right up to the way they are slaughtered. Ikejime is a method that guarantees no suffering and a stress-free death, thereby slowing down the degradation process, resulting in tastier, firmer flesh. 

A productive gourmet philosophy 

It is an outstanding example of its kind, with its “slight herbaceous taste, the sweet and delicate flesh”. A source of inspiration. And time for some cooking, with Nicolas Vidal and Chrisopher Aribert, before tasting...It is the culmination of an adventure for them both, coupled with a sense of fulfilment. “I’m serving a purpose, I feel like I am useful, I’m giving meaning to who I am, to what I do, to what they do...” 

Watch the full programme on our Youtube channel.