Food runs in the family for chef Nicolas Lebas, who became executive chef of Deer Valley’s Goldener Hirsch in early 2022 (aubergeresorts.com/goldenerhirsch/dine). Along with learning recipes from his grandmother, he got early exposure to restaurant culture by frequenting the restaurant his mother worked at as a waitress. “My first experience in fine dining was at a bistro in Lyon,” he recalls. “I was enthralled by the buzz and the sound of a full dining room filled with guests enjoying their meals.”

That enthusiasm drove him to culinary training and a career in fine dining, which has taken him from France to Mexico to the United States. “My cooking style is a fusion of the flavors and techniques I have picked up from my travels all over the world,” Lebas explains. His arrival at Goldener Hirsch incorporates what he describes as “a very contemporary spin on traditional Alpine cuisine,” with a seasonal menu that draws on produce from local farmers markets and suppliers like Gracie’s Farm.

After arriving in Park City, “it didn’t take me long to fall in love with this town,” Lebas says. “Park City’s cuisine is steeped in a farm-to-table culture that reminds me a lot of Europe, and I find the mountain ingredients are incredibly fresh and inspiring to work with.” Deer Valley provides plenty of familiar and fresh faces too: “I love when our dining rooms at The Restaurant or the Antler Lounge are full of a mix of hotel guests and locals from our community.”