The Woman
behind the Spoon
Bonjour, I’m Em, the face behind Hungry Hostess - a chalet chef, host and lifelong foodie living in Châtel in the French Alps.
I first fell in love with mountain life at 19, when I swapped university for a Chalet Chef training course in Sainte-Foy. My first winter took me to Méribel, cooking for 16 guests alongside another chef, and I was hooked.
Since then, I’ve worked across four chalets and spent 8 years cooking, hosting and learning the ins and outs of chalet life.
Food, Mountains + Good People
I’ve always loved feeding people. Even at school, I was the one hosting suppers, organising murder mystery dinners and finding any excuse to get everyone around the table.
These days, life in the Alps is a pretty good mix of skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, swimming, hiking, tennis, BBQs, restaurants, friends - and plenty of cooking.
My Chalet Chef Journey
Chalet Chardonnet, Meribel, 2013
Pre-Brexit, life felt wonderfully free - you could dip your toe into a new life abroad, work a season and see where it took you. I’ve always loved travelling, working abroad and meeting new people, and I’ve been lucky enough to work across some amazing countries and resorts. Here are the chalets I cooked in during my winters, with summers spent working in Greece and Turkey in between!
Chalet Chartreuse, Les Deux Alpes, 2014
Chalet Edelweiss, Sauze D’Oulx, 2016 + 2022
Chalet Châtaigne, Châtel
2023 -2026
Why Hungry Hostess?
I did have a go at the London life, but eventually realised I wanted to work to live, not live to work. At 27, I took the leap back to the mountains and haven’t looked back.
Now, after 8 years of chalet life and my fourth winter in Châtel, it feels like the right time to put everything I’ve learnt into something of my own.
Hungry Hostess is my way of combining the things I love: good food, hosting, mountain life and bringing people together around a table.
So, pull up a chair. I can’t wait to cook for you.
