The flames were so impressive on Tuesday evening at the summit of Salève that the people of Geneva could see them, miles away, from the other side of the border. The fire destroyed the Chalet de la Croix, an emblematic restaurant in the region, which was under renovation. However, it belongs in part to Marc-Emmanuel Dufour, famous for having long been the face of the show “Tous ensemble”, on TF1.
The French host returned to the site for the first time since the drama with “Le Dauphiné”. “I did all that and there’s nothing left. I need help,” comments a very moved Marc-Emmanuel Dufour, upon discovering the charred building.
In his show, Marc-Emmanuel Dufour worked hard to bring together volunteers to rebuild the homes of families in distress. Broadcast on Saturdays between 2009 and 2015, it sometimes attracted more than 2.5 million viewers. Today, facing the ashes at the top of Salève, he finds himself in exactly the same situation as all those he helped. “Everything went up in smoke,” laments the 61-year-old Frenchman.
Behind this sad observation, there was a beautiful story of friendship, tells the French daily. Marc-Emmanuel Dufour had hit it off and then become friends with Christiane Morel, the owner of Chalet de la Croix. When he died in 2019, his sister Mireille Duvernay found herself at the head of the heritage and the 150-year-old building. But extensive renovations were necessary, and the restaurant closed.
It was shortly after that the former presenter, who had also become friends with the new owner, decided to invest in saving the Haute-Savoie restaurant. He bought shares and has since invested tirelessly so that the restaurant can one day reopen.
“I have built this project over the last 5 years as I built the show “Tous ensemble”. I put all my savings into it,” he explains. “I will never be able to recreate everything I put into this project, these 5 years where I gave everything.”
After all these efforts and investments, the establishment was to reopen next year, retaining the family spirit that had made it famous. But if the foundations have apparently “not moved”, most of it is now devastated.
“Lightning brought us to our knees but we will get up again,” concludes the host in “Dauphiné”, half devastated and half combative. “We are going to launch a fundraiser. So yes, help. This place must live.”
