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In a family-run mountain pasture chalet, an evening event reveals four generations of cheesemaking tradition
2 min read
Between Les Menuires and Val Thorens, in Les 3 Vallées, a mountain pasture chalet called Chez Pépé Nicolas runs an immersive evening devoted to mountain farming life. From winter 2026/27, the evening takes place every week in one of the last working mountain ageing cellars, where cheese wheels made on site rest in an intimate, candlelit setting that encourages conversation.
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A tasting evening in a mountain pasture chalet
The evening takes place around an improvised table set up in the chalet's ripening cellar. Participants taste local wines and cheeses from the mountain pasture, including farmhouse tommes, raclette and sérac. The setting, designed for intimacy and conviviality, pairs blankets and candles with an insight into high-altitude farming work.
A family sustaining the mountain for four generations
Each week, Valentin, great-grandson of Pépé Nicolas, mountain pasture farmer and manager of the family farm, tells the story of the family's mountain pasture chalet. He describes the traditional preservation and ripening techniques that have built the chalet's reputation, along with daily life for a family that has sustained the mountain year-round for four generations. Through this oral history, participants gain a better understanding of the family's attachment to its trade and its land.
From milk to ripened cheese, a skill passed down
The milk used to make the cheese is collected directly on the mountain pasture. Judicaël, a cheese affineur and husband of Margot — herself a great-granddaughter of Pépé Nicolas and Valentin's cousin — then curdles, drains, moulds and ripens it on site. The whole process, from milking to ripening, therefore takes place in the same location and under the responsibility of the same family.
An evening that can continue at the restaurant
After the evening, participants can dine on site at the chalet's restaurant. This option extends the experience and continues the exploration of the chalet's farming and family world.
Key points
- The evening takes place every week during the winter, from winter 2026/27, in a mountain pasture chalet between Les Menuires and Val Thorens, in Les 3 Vallées.
- It is held in one of the last working mountain ageing cellars.
- The tasting features local wines and several mountain pasture cheeses: farmhouse tommes, raclette and sérac.
- The chalet's history is told by the great-grandson of the farm's founder, now a mountain pasture farmer and farm manager.
- The cheese is made and ripened on site by a cheese affineur, a member of the same family that has run the chalet for four generations.