Sandra‘s Closet

The Best Gift You Can Give a Mother? This.
There are days that ask nothing of you. No deadlines, no decisions, no notifications. Just the quiet luxury of being somewhere beautiful with someone you love.

On one of our recent days in Boston, Anouk and I did exactly that. We gave ourselves over to a full day at the Guerlain Spa at the Raffles Boston, and I have been thinking about it ever since.

The Raffles Boston has become my favorite hotel in the city, and for good reason. There is a level of care here that is hard to articulate but impossible to miss. Everything feels considered, generous, and effortlessly refined. It is the kind of place that makes you want to stay longer than planned.

The spa occupies the entire fourth floor, and it shows. Three private treatment suites with hydrotherapy baths and showers, a dedicated couples suite, separate saunas for women and men, a steam room, invigorating experience showers, a 20 meter vitality pool, and a fitness center equipped with Technogym. It is a world unto itself.

You sink into the spa the moment you arrive. The duvets are impossibly soft, the light is warm, the whole space has that rare quality of feeling genuinely unhurried. We had a couples massage, side by side in the same room, and were offered a choice between two oils: one with a gardenia note, the other a deeper, warmer blend of patchouli, tonka bean and vanilla.

We chose the latter. Both of us, without hesitation. The massage was exceptional, the therapists precise and intuitive, and the Guerlain products throughout were simply extraordinary. The scents alone are worth the trip.

Afterwards we swam, sat in the sauna, let the steam room do its work. One of those days you want to press pause on.

On a day like today, it feels worth saying: if you are still looking for a way to celebrate the mother in your life, an experience like this is the answer. Not a thing. Time, beautifully held.

And for those of us in Switzerland: Guerlain Spas are closer than you think. In Geneva at The Woodward, in Lausanne at the Beau-Rivage Palace. Both are destinations in their own right.

Happy Mother’s Day!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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The PIC restaurant is reborn at Beau-Rivage Palace under the creative direction of the triple-starred chef and Hublot Ambassador Anne-Sophie Pic. It has been a 15-year-long Swiss odyssey between the hotel and the world of Anne-Sophie Pic … fifteen years of friendships, creativity, tastes, foraging, reflection, trial and error…and success.

Each step has been painstakingly mapped out in detail in her private memory-rich journals. Switzerland is one of her most beloved places, a land where she never ceases to find inspiration. Partly, this is because she is able to look back fondly at a happy childhood suffused with rich memories of family gatherings in Switzerland’s Vaud region.

The setting of the new PIC Restaurant at the Beau-Rivage Palace was imagined and shaped by the chef. It epitomizes her culinary philosophy, one that underscores her delicate and bold cuisine, which combines classic ingredients and contemporary techniques to create innovative mouthwatering dishes. Her vision was transformed into reality by architect Tristan Auer: the restaurant’s design blends classic refinement with the promise of the contemporary.

Of all the gastronomic artisans in Switzerland, it is to Chef Jordan Theurrillat that Anne-Sophie Pic has entrusted her wealth of secrets. He has been at her side for more than a decade, including five years in Lausanne. Sommelier Dominique Peretti, also a veteran of Maison Pic, is in command of food pairings with the restaurant’s magnificent wine list. Finally, in the dining room, Diane Blanch, director of the Lausanne restaurant since 2021, places the Lausanne experience at the heart of Anne-Sophie Pic’s values.

It was 15 years ago that these two august institutions linked their destinies. And now they embark on a fresh new chapter combining the very best in hospitality, excellence, and savoir-faire.

Opening of the restaurant September 5 by the evening
Tuesday to Saturday, 12 noon to 1.30pm and 6.30pm to 9.30pm

4-course menu CHF 160 / 5-course menu CHF 210
valid for lunch from Tuesday to Friday
7-course Tasting Menu CHF 330 / 8-course Tasting Menu CHF 390
valid for lunch and dinner

The hotel car park is available and free to restaurant guests.

Place du Port 17-19, CH – 1006 Lausanne
E-mail: e. , Phone: +41 21 613 33 39

I personally speaking love her restaurant in Valence, where she actually lives. It is absolutely amazing, especially her non-alcoholic pairings are outstanding, for a previous post, click here please. Therefore I am super excited to be visiting the new spot in Lausanne hopefully soon!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Beau-Rivage Palace, © Hublot
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

During summer we love to go on a gourmet tour through France and Italy, which means we stop every second day at a two or three Michelin stars restaurant. It has become a tradition and it is great to be back in our favorite locations. This time, we took another route and visited for the first time Anne-Sophie Pic in Valence. This has been the best culinary experience we have had so far.

Personally speaking, you can feel that a woman is behind the creations. The dishes are light and fresh. Even after the 10-course «voyage» I didn’t feel stuffed as I usually do. You can taste that Anne-Sophie Pic takes a lot of devotion to find the best fresh ingredients. Her menu changes accordingly to the market. In fact, Anne-Sophie Pic is always moving. She is perpetually seeking new, complex flavour associations.

By finding non-consensual flavours such as the bitter, the acidic, the salty, the roasted, and the smoked and by taming them, she incorporates often overlooked produce such as beetroot, turnip or cabbage. In order to explore all of their possible uses in the kitchen, she approaches the ingredients in their totality, rather than cinnamon sticks, she prefers the cinnamon leaf.

The amazing anti-alcoholic accompaniment – the most extraordinary experience: pine needle tea (photo middle below).

The best? Forget the traditional wine pairing. At Anne-Sophie Pic you can order an anti-alcoholic accompaniment, which consists of different cocktails that are prepared at the table (the show is already worth it) and sophisticated teas.

The 51-year old French chef inherited her talent from her family. 3 generations, 3 stars, her father Jacques gained the restaurant «Maison Pic» three Michelin stars in 1973 and her grandfather André in 1934. Even that she spent a lot of time in the kitchen watching her father preparing his creations, she initially decided not to follow in their footsteps, and instead travelled overseas to train in management. In 1992, at the age of 23, she realised her place was by her father’s side so she could learn how to cook and develop the brand that was also her surname.

Unfortunately, her father died only three months later, and she moved to working the front of the house. In 1995, the restaurant lost its third Michelin star, for which she felt she had lost «her father’s star», and spurred her to return to the kitchen. In 1997, Pic took control of the restaurant. Even that she had no formal training in cooking – this is what I call real talent – she regained Maison Pic’s three Michelin stars in 2007.

An explosion of taste and color: amuse-bouche by Anne-Sophie Pic.

She is the fourth female chef to win three Michelin stars, and was awarded the Best Female Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2011. In the same year, she was named a Chevalier (Knight) of the French Legion of Honour. Isn’t it bizarre that women are supposed to be in the kitchen but the best chefs are all men?! I think, gentlemen, you should reconsider your dedications at home!

The divine white millefeuille served with milk foam is Anne-Sophie’s signature dessert dish. Click here for the recipe.

Great news is that we have also an Anne-Sophie Pic restaurant in Switzerland, located in Lausanne at the Beau-Rivage Palace. It was awarded two Michelin stars in 2009. There is more, the dedicated brunette has built a complete gourmand empire. Along with her husband David Sinapian, she establishes the PIC Group along with her SCOOK culinary school in Valence (2008), the ÉPICerie Fine in Valence (2010), la Dame de Pic in Paris (1 star), the Daily Pic (the gourmet verrines of Anne-Sophie Pic – 2014 and 2018), the restaurant André (2016) and la Dame de Pic London (1 star – 2017).

Visiting the kitchen after our excellent dinner experience.

Nevertheless, to really get her essence, you should visit her in her home in Valence. During the dinner, she will pass by to greet you and in the end I was even able to visit the impressive kitchen.

We stayed at her 5-star hotel Maison Pic in Valence. The restaurant is located within the property. The rooms are beautiful, you have an outdoor pool and the breakfast the next day is to die for. I have never in my life had such an amazing chocolate croissant.
One thing is for sure, we will be back soon!

LoL, Sandra

Breakfast at Anne-Sophie Pic

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht 
DISCLOSURE: This post is NOT sponsored.