L’Auberge du Père Bise

A legacy from another era, L’Auberge du Père Bise, on the shores of Lake Annecy, has been welcoming food lovers, artists, and athletes for over a century.

The history of Auberge du Père Bise began in 1903 when François and Marie Bise opened an inn in their name with a view of Lake Annecy. In 1928, their son Marius, supported by his wife Marguerite, took over the business in Talloires. A first Michelin star, followed by a second and then a third in 1951, made Marguerite only the third woman to receive this supreme distinction, behind Eugénie Brazier in Lyon and Marie Bourgeois in the Ain region.

Over the years, royalty, celebrities, and world leaders, including Winston Churchill, Jean-Paul Sartre, the Shah of Iran, Richard Nixon, the Queen of England, and Serge Gainsbourg, flocked to the gardens of the Auberge du Père Bise to enjoy the family’s cuisine and hospitality. In 1957, François, the son of Marius and Marguerite, took over the establishment with his wife Charlyne. Together, they maintained their three Michelin stars for 30 years, continuing a family legacy spanning four generations. Then, in 2017, Charlyne Bise and her daughter Sophie decided to pass on their establishment to a couple who shared their values and were driven by the same sense of sharing and generosity: Magali and Jean Sulpice. Together, Magali and Jean Sulpice are taking over the reins of the Auberge du Père Bise, with the aim of writing a new chapter in the restaurant’s remarkable history…

A story that begins under the best of auspices: named Chef of the Year 2017 by the Gault & Millau guide, Chef Jean Sulpice has been awarded two Michelin stars at the Auberge du Père Bise since 2018.

A land of inspiration and encounters

Annecy, a legendary destination

Even before the Auberge du Père Bise was founded in the 19th century, Annecy and the Bay of Talloires inspired many artists and writers, from Paul Cézanne, who painted Le lac bleu (The Blue Lake) there, to American writer Mark Twain, as well as painters Albert Besnard, Paul Mathey, and André-Charles Coppier, a local figure who once lived at the foot of Roc de Chère in the magnificent Villa La Pergola, which can still be seen today along the path leading to the Nature Reserve and the Grotte aux Oiseaux trail.

Since then, the bay of Talloires-Montmin and, even more so, the Auberge du Père Bise have been a refuge for curious minds and artists, painters, sculptors, actors, and writers, personalities from the world of entertainment, literature, and music, such as Santa, who spontaneously offered guests at the Auberge du Père Bise the privilege of a private piano concert one summer evening. A moment of grace among many others…