At a time when most restaurants are closing without knowing when they can reopen and if they can reopen, Caroline Ogi and Sylvain Stefanazzi Ogi have decided to see the glass half full and take the risk. On December 22, 2020, after 7 months of work, they launched the CASY in Crans-Montana. Opening a new restaurant in "normal times" is already quite a challenge. To open one in the midst of a health crisis, is it madness? Passion for the job, positivism and love can lift mountains.

Caroline Ogi gives us the proof in this interview!

THE STORY

Having your own restaurant, a childhood dream for you Caroline?

No. The desire came with the years, and with my husband Sylvain Stefanazzi Ogi. I dreamed of a hotel in the mountains and of being able to live in the mountains, but above all I wanted to become a ski champion! Afterwards, it was the coincidences of life and my meeting with Sylvain that made it possible to make a dream come true, a dream that has matured since we've been together. My 2 grandmothers were already working in the hotel and restaurant business. My grandmother on my father's side was a governess general in a 5-star hotel, on my mother's side she had a restaurant in the Bernese countryside. We were always in this restaurant in Kandersteg!

What do you like most about your job?

Without hesitation, the contact with people, meeting new people, new cultures every day. Those interactions are what I love! You have to love people when you choose this job. I'm also very happy to live in the mountains, between Crans-Montana where we have the restaurant and Kandersteg where we have a chalet.

Being a hotelier is a 200% job! How do you resource yourself?

This job is a vocation! I'm more of a Hotelier, but for love... a Restaurateur too. It's important to have a good balance between work and private life. I go for walks, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, ski-touring. Nature is where I get my strength from. Sometimes I have to force myself to go out... but I do, even if it's just for a few runs at 3pm.

THE RESTAURANT

It takes a lot of courage to open a restaurant in the midst of a pandemic! What were the main challenges for this opening?

Uncertainty is the most difficult thing to manage. We started this project in May and it lasted 7 months. During this whole period, we didn't know if we could open, when we could open, if a new closure was going to be imposed... all this with 7 employees. We are confronted with an "unreal reality", we open a restaurant and then close it... With Sylvain, we are very positive and we always see the glass half full. During the summer of 2020 we said to ourselves "we're going for it, it will come back one day and we believe in it", even if the gastronomy branch was at zero. Finally, we opened the restaurant on December 22nd... and 5 days later we had to close!

I have to admit that we are sometimes demotivated because of the difficult communication from the authorities. It's a new situation for all of us and criticizing is easy. But what I miss is a politician who gives a bit of hope to the branch, who speaks loud and clear and tells us "we'll get through it together", who gives answers to our questions quickly.

With the obligation to close the restaurant since last December and this until the end of February, how do you make the CASY live in spite of everything?

We decided to set up a take-away service 4 days a week starting on Thursday evening, with a dish of the day at lunch and in the evening. Sylvain always prepares dishes that are easy to reheat. We have set up a small ephemeral chalet in the street, just in front of our restaurant. This is where customers can come and order and pick up their meals, in addition to the dish of the day, also a selection of pizza, cakes, mulled wine and gin tea.

For us, it is a small occupation which above all allows us to create connections with people because we still have to make ourselves known. Staying open with this take-away is also good for morale! Members of the local community even call ahead to ask what's on the menu for the following week, it makes us happy!

What is the CASY concept?

Above all, we wanted to create a place where we meet each other, where we feel good. In our communication, we didn't mark the word restaurant anywhere! It's a place where you come with friends, for lunch, alone to work, with your family or as a couple for a romantic meal. We want to create a real place to live. The style of decoration is a mix between alpine and urban, wood with more industrial materials. We have had the chance to travel a lot, visiting restaurants all over the world, in NY, Bora Bora, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Muscat, etc. We took ideas that we saw everywhere and we were also inspired by our past professional experiences. Sylvain worked for a long time at the Lausanne Palace, we ran hotels together in Zermatt and Wengen. We both really agreed on the style we wanted!

What are Chef Sylvain's specialities?

Market cuisine with Italian influences because Sylvain is half Italian! We also respect the seasonality a lot, we are not going to propose strawberries in winter. There are also dishes inspired by our travels. Even if we also have a carnotzet in the restaurant, we don't propose traditional cheese dishes. Our menu is short, we prefer to change it often. There are classics that always come back to the menu, such as tartare, Parisian beef and some vegetarian dishes. I really like the tartar that Sylvain makes. He really masters hunting very well. For his citrus fruit risotto, I could wake up at night! I love CASY iced coffee with pieces of meringues, he has his secret recipe...

What are the challenges in relation to the fact that you are in a resort?

There is no real challenge or difference because Crans-Montana has 10,000 inhabitants all year round. We don't just work for holidaymakers and tourists, the local people who live here all year round are very important to us. Our aim is really to be there for them.

How do you select your suppliers?

We choose those who provide the right quality, good value for money and with whom we have a good collaboration. We are both lucky enough to have worked in the industry for 20 years and we know whom to go to. Sylvain makes the orders and knows each supplier personally, some of them have become friends. It's very important that we know where the products come from.

THE TEA

What is your favourite tea?

English Breakfast. I lived in England for a year and my landlady loved tea. She often said to me "let's have an English Breakfast together? ». I discovered Newby's Lemon & Ginger which I think is excellent. I drink English Breakfast for tradition, and Ginger & Lemon for curiosity!

At what time of the day do you prefer tea?

In the morning.

With sugar?

No, I learnt to drink tea without sugar in England with this lady I told you about. But I add milk!

With what sweets should you serve tea?

A good slice of toasted bread baked by my husband in the CASY pizza oven!

BEHIND THE SCENES

Your favourite ski slope in Crans-Montana?

Behind Bella Lui, the Zabona!

What do you take to nibble in your pockets for a day's skiing?

An Ovomaltine bar and dried fruit, especially figs.

The best terrace to get your strength back during a day of skiing?

I really like the one in Chetzeron with the breathtaking view over the whole valley, from Brig to Martigny!

In Zermatt, I love the restaurant Chez Vrony with the view of the Matterhorn, a mythical place on the slopes!

If you hadn't been a hotelier/restaurant owner, you would have been?

An ambassador or... a skier!

What are your 3 "insider tips" in Crans-Montana?

1. The Lake of La Moubra with its nice restaurant "La Plage".

2. The running course through the forests and up to the lake of Miriouges.

3. The Aprili mountain pasture and the view from up there, magical!