HISTORY OF THE RELAIS DE LA POSTE
Le Relais de la Poste, a family story
The story begins in 1850 when Jean and Jacques Coussau's great-grandparents took over a grocery and inn on the route to Santiago de Compostela. This stop-over point for travellers had a great heyday, and was later taken over by Jeanne and Bernard, the parents of the Coussau brothers. In 1952, the family inn became a hotel-restaurant, a popular address for gourmets.
From a very young age, Jean Coussau was immersed in a life punctuated by the excellence of the produce and the good humour of the Landes region. In 1971, the Relais de la Poste restaurant was awarded 2 stars in the MICHELIN Guide, an accolade for Bernard Coussau's sensitive, modern cuisine. Since then, the two stars have never left the restaurant.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Relais de la Poste's 2 MICHELIN stars, the family commissioned a documentary to keep a record for future generations. Watch the documentary.
"We used to be restaurant owners with a few rooms, now we're hotel and restaurant owners".
Back in Magescq, Jean Coussau took over from his father Bernard in the kitchen in 1996, along with his wife Annick and brother Jacques, both of whom have been closely involved in the hotel-restaurant's development. From one transformation to the next, Le Relais de la Poste joined the prestigious "Relais & Châteaux" collection in 1999.
« Creation and planting of our vineyard »
Since then, the hotel and restaurant have been successively extended and modernised, with the creation of suites, a SPA, a massage room and, most recently, the complete renovation of the restaurant.
The planting of an experimental vineyard, "La Petite Lagune", means that Magescq can produce a wine that reflects our own personality. The 2022 vintage marks the 20th anniversary of this absolutely unique Landes region wine.
« This place has a soul,
we want to preserve it »
Aujourd’hui, le pavillon historique des parents Coussau, faisant face au Relais de la Poste, est devenu une auberge bourgeoise où l’on peut déjeuner et dîner dans un décor charmant avec un agréable jardin : l’Auberge Côté Quillier.
Jean Coussau, Maître Cuisinier de France, Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux, membre de l’association des Grandes Tables du Monde et du Collège Culinaire de France, aura su perpétuer l’amour de la gastronomie et de l’art de vivre de sa famille ainsi que l’identité forte d’une culture locale unique en son genre.
