Try the “Mountain Man” restaurant near Montreux, Switzerland

Chateau Chillon in Montreux, immortalized by Lord Byron, sits
in the shadow of Restaurant du Montagnard  (wikipedia)

VALLON DE VILLARD, SWITZERLAND -- This is a story about the human spirit. It's about perseverance and dedication. It is about humility. It is a .story about a Swiss chef who rarely left his beloved hills overlooking Lake Geneva outside Montreux, Switzerland, and it is a story about the determination to do something with your life that brings pleasure to others through your own talents and gifts

His name was Hans Odermatt, and he was one of those people you never forget.                                              

Lord Byron would have
enjoyed knowing Hans
Odermatt  (wikipedia)  

             

It wasn’t so much his hand-knitted woolen socks that made him distinctive.  Nor was it his home-made wooden sandals with broad leather straps.  It wasn’t even his Santa Claus beard that grew down to his chest.  Rather it was his indefinable and intangible spirit; an aura that touched nearly everyone who walked into his little restaurant in Vallon de Villard (Villard Valley), the mountains that overlook 

Montreux, Switzerland.

                                                    

Later, when the war was over, he returned to Zurich where he enrolled in a culinary school before moving back to the hills that rise above Lake Geneva.                                                                                                                                                        

Steamers criss-cross Lake Geneva between Switzerland and
France throughout the summer  (wikipedia)

Using his life’s savings, Odermatt purchased a 17th century farm in the 1960s.  Recalling the carpentry skills of his earlier life, Hans went to work on the stable and transformed it into a restaurant.  Working with his own hands by day, Hans gradually and methodically built his dream.

Then, in the evening, in order to earn enough money to pay his bills, Odermatt prepared fondue and raclette for the villagers who lived in the countryside.

Golden Pass train glides past
vineyards above Lake Geneva
(wikipedia

The restaurant was rustically appointed with wall paintings by Alexandre Guhl and decorated throughout with a large collection of old farm implements. Even today, visitors are captivated by the depictions of traditional Swiss country life that permeate the restaurant.

When his restaurant was completed, Hans Odermatt continued refining his culinary techniques by expanding his menu and perfecting his craft.  Soon, Restaurant du Montagnard became well-known throughout the region.  So popular did his establishment become that the rich and famous quickly discovered Odermatt’s kitchen.  William Holden.  Richard Nixon.  Richard Burton.  David Niven.  Even Charlie Chaplin and Charles Lindbergh dined  there. 

       

Fireworks light up the Geneva sky in August  (wikipedia)

Each night, when his cooking chores were finished, it was Odermatt’s routine to sit in a corner booth of his restaurant with a glass of red wine and proudly observe his domain.  Elegant cuisine, its preparation and the pure enjoyment of his customers savoring each delicious morsel became a passion for the little Swiss chef.      

For many, the thought of personally preparing meals for some of the most celebrated people in the world might have been a powerful aphrodisiac for their ego, but not for Hans Odermatt.  When asked about his famous clientele, Odermatt answered humbly, “It’s the villagers who are most important to me.  They come every night, and the rich and famous don’t spend any more than the peasants do.”

Mary Shelley wrote
Frankenstein while staying
in Geneva  (wikipedia)

Indeed, Hans Odermatt was a simple man, for he understood the blessings of life.  He had a sixth sense about what made life worth living; what true quality of life was all about and a love of the natural order of things he saw daily in his beloved hills of Switzerland.

      

As Hans would express to others, he had no need of a calendar because he could tell what day it was in the spring by where the flowers bloomed on the hillside outside his window. 

      

The majestic breathtaking Alps add to the aura of Montreux and
Byron's Castle of Chillon  (wikipedia)

Hans Odermatt is gone now.  He died doing what he loved most, cooking in the place he built with his own hands.  But his restaurant still thrives, operated by his wife, Marion, and his sons, Christian and Micky Odermatt.

Montagnard means “The Mountain Man.”  It’s easy to find.  Just take a taxi from Montreux about 4 miles up into the hills.  The driver will know where it is.

      

And somewhere from a corner of heaven Hans Odermatt will be watching you dine with a glass of red wine in his hand.

(*Author's note: Pictures of Hans Odermatt are rare and difficult to find. I possess one transparency that was taken in his corner seat at Restaurant du Montagnard. When I am able to get it digitized, I will add it to the article.)