A former tax office transformed into a gourmet jewel in Aveyron

In Marcillac-Vallon, Aveyron, Audrey Besson was inspired by memories of her grandmother to invent a hotel-restaurant full of charm, finesse and originality. The name? Auprès d'Angèle.

Pierrick Jégu Published today at 10:00 AM

it's almost certain that in the past, no one crossed the threshold of this building with the same gusto as they do today. And with good reason: 2, avenue Prades, in downtown Marcillac-Vallon, was for a long time home to the Hôtel des Impôts, and more often than not, people went there backwards than with a smile on their faces. Having been deserted for several years, Audrey Besson decided to give it a more amiable vocation. From this noble building clad in intense red sandstone, locally known as"rougier", she has turned it into a house of trust, lulled by a gentle family spirit like that which links her to the Bras. Niece of Michel Bras and cousin of Sébastien, Laguiole's famous duo (17/20 - 4 toques), Audrey is the granddaughter of Angèle, nicknamed Mémé Bras.

Portrait Et Devanture © Dr © DR

Her home is a tribute to this grandmother, and indeed to all grandmothers who envelop you in their serene benevolence, who have the power to build happy memories with"nothings", to gather their tribe around a table nourished by simple things. Audrey has all this in her heart. And this"all that" guided her during the year-long construction work, before the opening of her hotel-restaurant in May 2024... and still guides her every day. Not far away, a river flows by: the Cruou, a meander and waterfall in its own humble measure, playing a discreet music far from the great din. A small gate opens onto a courtyard terrace. At the side of the house, a mulberry tree lends a little shade, surely welcome when tables are set outside in midsummer. There's also a small herb garden for cooking.

An eye for detail

Let's take the lovely staircase to one of the six rooms named after Angèle's favorite flowers: peony, pansy, wisteria, lilac, forget-me-not and rose. The decor is well thought-out, but far from flashy. Elegant simplicity, with openwork panels in cabinetry, and great comfort, with bedding to lull insomniacs to sleep in fine Egyptian satin sheets. Audrey's sensitivity to noble materials comes from her mother. On the first floor, the restaurant is bathed in generous light through bay windows opening onto the terrace and garden. With its long counter and wooden furniture, including tables made to measure by local craftsmen, it is reminiscent of the cafés of yesteryear. but Audrey has added contemporary flourishes to the old-fashioned look, such as the superb blown-glass chandeliers in shades of green that light up the dining room. Grapes? Clouds? it's up to you to dream. They are the work of Thibaut Nussbaumer, a designer from Toulouse who also created the water glasses. The tables also feature small bouquets of flowers and wild plants, vintage Arcopal plates in opaline glass, in white or floral versions, and the famous liadou, "tool for tying" in Occitan. In days gone by, every winegrower had this knife in his pocket, which he used to split the wicker with which, before the advent of wire trellising, he tied the vines into a crown.

Auprès D'angèle © Dr dR

Angèle's coquillettes and many others

The table is set, the bread presented on cut staves colored by the tannins of the wine, and the meal is about to begin... For the savory side, Guillem Bach from Barcelona, and for the sweet side, Zoé Prudent. Both met at La Halle aux Grains, the Bras family restaurant at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris. As the Aveyron larder is quite rich, they source their main raw materials from local producers: beef, veal, lamb, pig, duck, trout, cheese and even coquillettes, made by the Biovezou mill in Pont-de-Salars, to prepare Mémé Bras' famous coquillettes au fromage. We loved it. Just as we have fond memories of a very fine and pretty pig carpaccio, lamb sweetbreads pan-fried in buckwheat butter, poultry breast, vegetables in escabeche and cabbage leaf, apavlova with Aveyron plums, hibiscus and light orange blossom cream, and Zoé's delicious tarts... Like the entire address, the couple's cuisine exudes common sense.

Bistronomic or gastronomic, who cares? There's taste in the plates, inspiration and a great intention to please. On the last day of the week, the house resurrects Sunday family meals, with generous dishes to share. We can guess that Audrey, as a child, experienced a few of these at Angèle's table. She certainly wasn't allowed to drink wine in those days. Today, her cellar holds the little-known treasures of Aveyron's vineyards, and she makes a point of presenting at least one cuvée from each estate. in the immediate vicinity of Marcillac, plots of vines cling to steep hillsides. A chance to meet a winegrower is a tasty excuse for a rural getaway. An alternative is to follow the GR 62, which takes you in the footsteps of Pierre Soulages, the famous artist who died in 2022, aged almost 103. The museum dedicated to him in Rodez and the stained-glass windows he created for the abbey church in Conques are well worth a visit. Sixty-five kilometers on foot with a stopover in Marcillac! So, if you're ever looking for a place to stop off...