{"id":27945,"date":"2026-09-11T10:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T08:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/non-categorise\/matiere-serenity-in-three-voices\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T08:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T06:30:12","slug":"matiere-serenity-in-three-voices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/portrait\/matiere-serenity-in-three-voices\/","title":{"rendered":"“Mati\u00e8re”: Serenity in Three Voices"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is one word that will come up repeatedly during our conversation\u2014without anyone having anticipated it: serenity. A word that perfectly captures the atmosphere of Mati\u00e8re<\/strong><\/a>. Three years after opening in Geneva, the restaurant run by Marion, Lionel Schneider, and Freddy Garanjoud has found its niche. In a neighborhood that, on paper, might not have had all the right ingredients to become a gourmet destination, the trio has established a restaurant that is now considered one of Geneva\u2019s top culinary destinations. <\/p>\n

\"260423
Freddy Garanjoud, Marion, and Lionel Schneider \u00a9Edouard Amoiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three professions, three regions<\/h2>\n

Although the restaurant is a success today, that wasn\u2019t guaranteed at the start. We had to create a space with the resources at our disposal, make it our own, understand our customers, and refine the decor, the cuisine, the wine selection, and the service. \u201cWe started from scratch, but we built our identity bit by bit,\u201d Marion explains. It took three years to fine-tune every detail, during which time everyone gradually found their rhythm. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s probably where one of Mati\u00e8re\u2019s strengths lies. The roles are clear. Freddy cooks. Lionel builds the wine cellar and serves the wine. Marion oversees the dining room, the atmosphere, and the balance that allows the other two areas to shine. Being three partners also means accepting the input of others. Freddy\u2019s dishes are tasted together. We discuss them and make adjustments. Everyone retains their freedom, but no one really works alone. \u201cToday, we each have our own role; we\u2019re all skilled at what we do, and we trust one another,\u201d explains Freddy. <\/p>\n

\"260423
Chef Freddy Garanjoud at Mati\u00e8re \u00a9Edouard Amoiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Liberated Cuisine<\/h2>\n

That trust allowed the chef to focus on his cooking\u2014with peace of mind. For him, those three years were a time of emancipation. When the restaurant opened, he had to break away from what he\u2019d experienced before, particularly at Yeast. The first few months still bore some traces of that past, before he found his own voice. He had to listen to the guests, hear their initial feedback, and understand what they expected from Mati\u00e8re. Then, gradually, he had to \u201clet loose.\u201d Pickles, chili peppers, more depth of flavor. Influences that shift according to the chef\u2019s curiosities: for a time, South America; then Japan. Nothing is set in stone. <\/p>\n

Defining his cuisine always makes him a little uncomfortable. So let\u2019s take a stab at doing it for him: it\u2019s a deeply indulgent cuisine, driven by sauces and solid classical foundations, with a touch of bourgeois elegance in the noblest sense of the term, yet completely free of any stiffness. It\u2019s an evolving cuisine, capable of reinterpreting the great classics as well as shifting toward more contemporary creations. \u201cWe\u2019re refining and refining our approach even today, and we\u2019ll continue to do so tomorrow.\u201d All the better. <\/p>\n

\"260423
Sommelier Lionel Schneider \u00a9Edouard Amoiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From 200 to nearly 700 items<\/h2>\n

In the dining room, another identity has taken shape: that of the wine cellar. When Mati\u00e8re opened in 2023, Lionel had about 200 wine selections. Three years later, he has between 600 and 700. This growth is above all a reflection of a choice: from the very beginning, a portion of their resources was dedicated to wine. All three had a simple vision of the kind of place they wanted to create: a restaurant they themselves would want to visit. Good food, of course. But also great wine. <\/p>\n

No rules, no dogma. The cellar alternates between conventional and natural wines, between biodynamic wines and more classic or iconic selections. \u201cWe love natural wines, but we\u2019re not here to lecture anyone,\u201d says Lionel with a smile. Over time, they\u2019ve built up their allocations, relationships with winemakers, and access to a few highly sought-after bottles. But the philosophy remains the same: wine complements the food and is an integral part of the dining experience. <\/p>\n

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The Heart and Soul of the Hall, Marion Schneider \u00a9Edouard Amoiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And Marion, in the center<\/h2>\n

Certainly, cuisine and wine are Mati\u00e8re\u2019s two obvious strengths, but its identity isn\u2019t limited to that. A restaurant also thrives on the feeling you get when you walk in. And that\u2019s probably where Marion\u2019s role comes into play in all its subtlety. She herself describes it as more understated. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s the right word. From the very beginning, she says she has always been serene. She had confidence in life and in the future. <\/p>\n

Three years later, this approach seems to have taken root within the restaurant\u2014in the dining room, in the welcome, and in the way guests are received. Mati\u00e8re has a large number of regulars: out of a dozen tables during a service, Marion estimates that seven or eight are occupied by regular customers. Listening to her, it becomes clear that she may be the one who maintains the balance. She is the one who moderates, observes, and allows everyone to hold their own ground without the whole losing its cohesion. She would likely reject this description out of modesty. I\u2019ll stick with it anyway. <\/p>\n

Finding Balance for the Long Haul<\/h2>\n

Our conversation eventually went beyond the subject of Mati\u00e8re. It touched on that old idea that the restaurant business demands that you sacrifice everything for it: your time, your weekends, your relationship, your family\u2014sometimes even yourself. All three belong to a generation that has given so much to the profession\u2014perhaps too much. Today, they are seeking balance\u2014not to work less, but to work better and, above all, to have a lasting career. <\/p>\n

As I leave Mati\u00e8re, I reflect on what we\u2019ve talked about so much: that serenity, which is neither synonymous with stillness nor, even less so, with ease. Freddy\u2019s cuisine is evolving. Lionel continues to build out his wine cellar. Marion brings this dining room\u2014now familiar to so many guests\u2014to life. But one thing now seems firmly established: trust. The trust they have in one another. Mati\u00e8re quickly won over the palates of Geneva\u2019s food lovers. But its greatest achievement, after three years, may lie elsewhere: realizing that a restaurant\u2019s success depends not only on the work of those who cook, serve, or select a bottle of wine, but also on the balance of a team. A team of three, in this case. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Geneva, Marion and Lionel Schneider conceived Mati\u00e8re together with chef Freddy Garanjoud. Three years later, their restaurant has established itself among the city\u2019s leading dining destinations, driven by a distinctive culinary style, a growing wine cellar, and\u2014above all\u2014a sense of serenity that has become their defining feature. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"\"Mati\u00e8re\": Serenity in Three Voices | Restaurant Geneva | Edouard Amoiel","description":"In Geneva, Marion and Lionel Schneider conceived Mati\u00e8re together with chef Freddy Garanjoud. Three years later, their restaurant has established itself among t"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_restaurants-par-lieux":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_style-de-restaurant":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[358],"tags":[],"restaurants-par-lieux":[353],"style-de-restaurant":[],"class_list":["post-27945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-portrait","restaurants-par-lieux-geneva"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27995,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27945\/revisions\/27995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27945"},{"taxonomy":"restaurants-par-lieux","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/restaurants-par-lieux?post=27945"},{"taxonomy":"style-de-restaurant","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/style-de-restaurant?post=27945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}