Le Mas de Riri continues to write its history

C’est en 2016 que Youri Dangel a repris le Mas, lorsqu’il avait 25 ans. Louise Gerbaud

Le lieu qui a pris vie dans les années 80 avec le grand-père Henri Goudal, connaît depuis ces dernières années un nouvel envol sous l’impulsion de son petit-fils Youri Dangel.

After walking a steep path through the carmine-red rock, where tents and camper vans are scattered here and there, the visitor discovers a wooden terrace, furnished with wicker chairs. Next to it stands the Mas de Riri, which seems perfectly integrated into this natural landscape, facing the Salagou lake.

The Mas has a unique family history, dating back several decades. Youri Dangel, who took over the place at the age of 25 eight years ago, after his mother Joëlle, who had herself inherited it from her father Henri Goudal in the early 2000s, says: “My grandfather rehabilitated this farmhouse after being expropriated from Celles when the village was due to be swallowed up by the lake. " Later, Henri became the mayor of Celles and with his grandmother Marcel, he transformed the place into a restaurant and campsite in the 80s. "Ils received their friends there for an aperitif which encouraged them to open a restaurant " continues the manager with a lively look.

Le Mas de Riri will extend its opening until the end of November and will resume in mid-February, including for camping. Louise Gerbaud

A constant renewal

Since then, the farmhouse has continued to renew itself under the leadership of Joëlle, also mayor of Celles, then her son, who has undertaken numerous exterior development works. « We have planted trees, developed a terrace, the rental area, installed arbours, all of this gradually », he explains. This work now allows us to welcome more people.

It was in 2016, after having trained in catering in large Parisian restaurants, that Youri took over. Since then, his investment has been total. « I want to make it a profitable, functional and pleasant place for the customer. » He is also happy to see visitors from coastal towns, such as Sète and Perpignan, come to enjoy the lake.

But for this the manager had to spend a lot of energy. He is grateful to the core of his team, who have been there since the beginning: « I was lucky enough to recruit a friend from Paris, Jean-François, who helped me transform the farmhouse into what it is today. » His employees Thomas, Sophie, his brother Swan, and his partner Johanna, among others, have also been invaluable supporters.

Thomas, one of the bartenders at the establishment, has been there for about fifteen years. Louise Gerbaud

A manager full of ambition

The booming summer musical evenings owe a lot to her mother, who takes care of the programming: « She selects and recruits the artists, offering an eclectic program: pop, rock, afro, jazz, electro… » These events attract more and more artists and labels, thanks to a warm welcome neat.

Youri is not short of ambition and has plans in mind to enhance the farmhouse while preserving its identity: « Our popular and family side will not change ; these developments will strengthen the integration of the campsite into its natural environment. »

Moreover, one of the new features is the extension of the opening of the farmhouse until the end of November, four days a week, with a resumption in mid-February. « Our campsite will be the only one to offer accommodation outside the summer season. »

Everything suggests that the history of Mas de Riri will continue to be written, changing with the seasons to guarantee the sustainability of the place. "If we manage to realize the project that we have been developing over the last four years, I think that I will have succeeded in what I wanted to do", the manager says enthusiastically.

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