These two young women, both passionate about cooking, have known each other since secondary school in Alençon. They went their separate ways: Dorine trained in gastronomy at the Ferrandi school and became a chef and pastry chef in some of Paris’s most illustrious restaurants.
As for Victoire, after studying at business school, she put on a rucksack and travelled the roads of Asia and the Middle East. The encounters and culinary experiences she developed during her travels only strengthened her already fervent taste for the pleasures of the table. So when she returned to France, she decided to take a C.A.P. in cookery!
In 2020, Dorine and Victoire decided to leave Paris, move back to the Orne and Sarthe regions and join forces to launch a business that suited them. And just what they needed, an unexpected opportunity presented itself! The Domaine du Gasseau, which belongs to the Haute Sarthe Alpes Mancelles community of municipalities and is based in Saint-Léonard-des-Bois, was looking for a buyer for its hotel, gîte and restaurant.
They responded to the call for tenders, their application was accepted and in March 2021 they opened the doors of La maison du Gasseau. Here, guests can enjoy pretty rooms with views over the wooded landscapes of the Alpes Mancelles and a 100% home-made gourmet menu, concocted using local organic produce. “The star of the menu is the vegetable!” confides Victoire. “Dorine loves to cook them in all their forms… At the moment she’s offering an original dessert: butternut squash caramelised in a crème brulée sauce”. At the same time, the two friends have developed a well-being section in their establishment in collaboration with 3 massage therapists.
Today, Dorine manages the kitchen and writes the menus, which are renewed every month, while Victoire manages the dining room, the hotel and the events: a good complementarity that satisfies them, each finding her place in this exceptional adventure! “It’s a project that’s totally in keeping with us, and it’s been a very rewarding experience!” concludes Victoire.
