Sitting at 1580m above sea level, the eponymously named 1580m, Restaurant, Coffee shop and Brew house is the uppermost property on the road in Sainte Foy Station, before you head out into the forest.
Brushing some freshly fallen snow off our coats, we walk inside and are instantly met by mouth watering aromas wafting out of the kitchen. There’s a welcoming wood burner right in the middle of the room giving a very cozy feel to the place, and the view from the enormous picture window has to be one of the best in the french alps.
Steve and Sallie Hatton bought the property 17 years ago in 2003, when Sainte-Foy was much, much smaller. “We just fell in love with the place,” Steve tells us. “We brought the children and would spend all summer here”. With the stunning mountain views from their terrace, it’s easy to see why. Then glimpsing into a childhood memory, Vici nostalgically adds, “we grew up here”.
Vici, a cancer cell biologist, is taking a five month sabbatical to help get the family project up and running, and although it’s Vici we have come to see, we very quickly realise that when you chat to one member of this family you engage in jovial banter with them all.
There is a feeling of being welcomed into the family home as Sam, Vici’s twin brother, asks us if we’d like a coffee. This is a coffee lover’s holy grail, speciality coffee with real milk, prepared by a professional barista with eight years experience, and it tastes fabulous. One look at his Instagram feed will tell you all you need to know!
There’s also loose leaf teas, and the hot chocolate, made with real chocolate shavings, is as good as you’ll find anywhere. And if you’re one of those people who thinks a brew is too wet without a biscuit, there is a mouth watering choice of cakes and biscuits, all home baked on the premises.
Gathering around a solid wood and copper, breakfast bar style, high table, our coffees arrive, and Vici tells us how “it was Dad’s brain wave . . . the seed of the idea was that we couldn’t find the beer we liked, so we decided to make it ourselves. Dad has brewed from a young age and always had a passion for it.” This father/daughter double act continues with Steve confirming that “the perfect dream is to design and make our own perfect beer!” It’s a worthy goal, and there’s no shortage of tasting panel volunteers to help him tweak his way to beer crafting perfection!
Steve, an oil and gas engineer by trade, was very much at home building and developing the brewery side of things. He embraced new beer making technology, combining the latest computerised technology with traditional techniques such as cask conditioning his beer. It takes away the need for chemicals so you get a purer beer, and hopefully no hangover.
With the wistful imagery of her father making his own beer, Vici brings us up to speed, “So then we decided to create a restaurant to go with it. It just seemed so logical and the right thing to do. We decided to make it how we would like a restaurant to be for ourselves. This is when it became a family project, and everybody just wanted to be involved.”
There is a well known brewer who might have said that “we don’t make the perfect restaurant, but if we did, it would look like this . . .” Customers can certainly get a great latte or cappuccino here, and the beer is well on its way to dream like perfection, so we decide to do some more testing and ask for the menu.
This is definitely a family of foodies! Cousin Tom, with his engaging grin, has had ten years in hospitality and managing ‘The Stand’ at the Edinburgh Fringe before joining this family gathering. He tells us that, “What we love is homely hearty food, and where possible, made with fresh local ingredients to prepare international dishes packed with flavours, textures and freshness. The core of the menu is meat and fish, freshly smoked in our own smokery, and blended with herbs and spices from around the world”. We order the smoked pork belly with red beans and roast potatoes, which weare told is the village favourite, and are already starting to feel hungry!
Next, we are introduced to brother Jack. After A-levels he went to culinary school, but “he’s been making pancakes from the age of three, and we always knew that cooking was his calling”. Jack runs the kitchen and takes the lead on menu selection, and through the fun of an ‘elder sibling smile’ Vici adds that “we all think we make helpful suggestions though”. His Instagram account may say otherwise!
Looking round, it is hard to believe that they have only just started this venture. It has the feel of a long-standing successful family restaurant business that has been tried and tested and is well on its way, but we are not surprised because it is very evident that this project is full of love for what they do.
The last two members of the family come over to say hello. Vici’s mum, Sallie, and a big friendly labradoodle called Pep. Pep is particularly pleased that one of Steve’s beer creations ‘Powder Hound’ has been named in her honour! Sallie enjoys having the family around her, and says of her husband that “he was bored in retirement and always needed a project”. Their children all describe it as “Dad’s retirement project”, and Vici adds that he has made a work life transition from Dad to employer which she says he’s hardly noticed. A fine testament to the team spirit.
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he pico-brewery is downstairs in the garage, making beer which is served to the customer only a few meters away upstairs. Although getting the go ahead from the French authorities took more time that hoped, we are excited to hear that they have their brewing licence and their own craft beer will soon be on tap!
Our pork belly dinner arrives, and tastes delicious. We are definitely coming back to 1580m!
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