Next Gen: Phaedra Letrou on Food, Family, and Growing Into Leadership at The Capra

Phaedra Letrou’s relationship with hospitality started early. As a child, she was so into food that for her fifth birthday, the party was food-themed, complete with her dad dressed as a chef. It wasn’t a one-off.

Growing up, meals were central to everyday life. Though she grew up in London, her parents are Greek and Norwegian, and hospitality, in their world, was almost a reflex. Food was how you cared for people. Family meals were a daily ritual. Guests were always welcome at the table. It was less something you planned and more something you lived.

That upbringing made cooking feel instinctive, but Phaedra wanted to understand it more deeply. She decided to take two gap years to pursue a patisserie diploma from Le Cordon Bleu, developing a respect for technique, structure, and the discipline behind doing things well.

In 2021, she attended Yale University, studying cognitive science, but food remained close by. She cooked meals for up to 70 students through Y-Pop-Up, Yale’s fine-dining dinner club, co-founded Peckish, a food magazine, and took a formative history of food course with historian Dr. Paul Freedman. On summer breaks back in London, she worked in professional kitchens, from Michelin-starred pubs to award-winning bakeries.

So when Phaedra, now 25, chose to join her parents’ hotel, The Capra Saas-Fee, it can look like a natural next step. In reality, it was a decision she arrived at deliberately, after testing different paths and thinking carefully about how and where she wanted to learn.

The Capra itself began with a passion for the Swiss alps.. Phaedra’s parents originally wanted to have a mountain chalet, but after visiting Saas-Fee, they were inspired to transform a former three-star property into something different from Switzerland’s traditional grand hotels: a modern, intimate luxury hotel that felt warm, design-led, and personal. Opening in 2015 with just 14 rooms, the hotel expanded thoughtfully in 2017 and again in 2023, growing into the 38-room property it is today.

Set on the edge of Saas-Fee, a car-free Swiss alpine village surrounded by 13 snowy peaks rising above 4,000 meters, the hotel sits in one of the Alps’ most snow-sure destinations, drawing Olympians from around the world for summer training. The hotel was awarded two Michelin Keys in 2024, and renewed their keys in 2025, and having visited with my daughter in January, we understand the appeal.

Wellness and food sit at the heart of the experience. Guests naturally gravitate to the cosy lobby, with its pine-lined walls and woollen accents, where homemade cakes are offered daily and afternoons stretch easily into conversations over cocktails. The spa is designed for restoration, with two types of saunas, steam rooms, cold showers, and fireside spaces made for lingering, while restaurant menus are built around locally sourced ingredients, reflecting a thoughtful, low-waste, environmentally conscious approach throughout the hotel.

In this herstory Q&A, Phaedra reflects on growing up in a deeply hospitable home, taking on responsibility early, and learning how to step into leadership while still very much in the process of becoming it.

You grew up in a household where food and hosting were part of everyday life. How did that shape your relationship with hospitality?

Food was always how my family showed love. My grandma was an amazing cook, and food was how traditions were passed down. If someone was sad, food was what you brought. That was always the response.

Eating family meals was a ritual. When we were all in the same place, we would have breakfast together and dinner together every day. When we were on holiday, it was breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. I realised later that this wasn’t how everyone grew up.

Food was always tied to being together, and that really shaped how I think about hospitality.

Phaedra's sixth birthday party had a food theme! Her dad is the chef.

During COVID, you spent time studying at Le Cordon Bleu. What did that period give you?

COVID disrupted everything. I had just finished my first trimester at Le Cordon Bleu, and came back home until it was safe enough to restart cooking school again. I decided to break up the diploma in stages, and actually ended up working as a commis chef in the hotel during the winter season. 

What stood out to me most during cooking school, and working at the hotel, was discipline, especially in baking. At the beginning, I didn’t understand why everything had to be so precise, but I quickly saw how much small details matter in the final result. Precision really does change everything.

That mindset has stayed with me. In hospitality, you put so much effort into details that guests might not consciously notice, but they intrinsically feel. The small things add up.

You studied cognitive science at Yale, but food clearly stayed central. How did those worlds come together?

For a long time, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. A lot of my friends were doing finance or consulting and had very clear paths by sophomore or junior year, and I didn’t. 

I joined Y-Pop-Up, which is a student-run cooking club, and we hosted restaurant-style dinners every couple of weeks. Sometimes they were six or seven courses, and we were cooking for up to 70 people. I eventually became head chef, which taught me a lot about leadership, organisation, and responsibility.

I also co-founded a food magazine called Peckish. We reviewed restaurants, published recipes, and wrote food-focused stories. Looking back, it all makes sense, but at the time it felt very nonlinear. Food was always the constant.

You didn’t immediately plan to work in your parents’ hotel. What changed?

It genuinely didn’t enter my mind at first. I was looking at hotel management programmes, food consulting companies, and training schemes. I assumed that was the correct way to learn.

My parents were very supportive and said they would back whatever I chose. But they also asked why I wouldn’t consider learning within the family business if I was about to work hard for someone else anyway. That conversation stayed with me.

I was nervous about working with my family, but it has been amazing. But what’s been really special is how much exposure I’ve had. My focus is sales and marketing, but because my parents aren’t here all the time, I end up touching every part of the business. Front office, service, spa, operations. I don’t think I would have gotten that breadth anywhere else.

You’ve taken on real responsibility early. What has surprised you most?

How much of this is a people business. Everyone says that, but I didn’t fully understand it until I was in it.

It’s not just about guests. It’s about the team. Communication is huge, especially when you’re working with people from many different countries and English isn’t everyone’s first language. You have to be very intentional about culture and how you communicate.

One thing I’ve learned is not to jump straight into telling people what to do. Asking why something is happening the way it is makes a big difference. Often there’s a reason you don’t see at first, and once you understand that, you can find a solution together.

A signature suite at The Capra Saas-Fee

Mentorship has clearly played a big role for you. Tell me about your relationship with Rohaise Rose-Bristow, owner of The Torridon in Scotland.

I’m genuinely very grateful you connected us. That introduction came at exactly the right moment for me.

What really stands out about Rohaise is how thoughtfully she approaches everything. She had a similar path with her parents at The Torridon, so there’s a real understanding there, and she has so much experience. She’s also incredibly open with everything, which is rare.

From the start, she didn’t just give advice. She helped me think deeply through how I was approaching things. We’d talk about what I wanted to get done before our next conversation, what actually happened, and then what I should focus on next. That structure has been really helpful for me.

She’s also helped me navigate things that are very specific to my situation, like being young, working across different cultures and languages, and stepping into responsibility within a family business. There are a lot of layers there, and she understands that.

One thing that really stuck with me was her emphasis on having clear roles and HR processes in place. We knew we needed that, but hearing it from someone who has built and leads a hotel like The Torridon made it feel much more real and urgent.

The Capra exterior

When you look ahead, what kind of experience are you trying to help build at The Capra?

Community is really important to me. A lot of wellness hotels focus on the individual, which is valuable, but I think people are also craving connection.

That’s why we’re doing things like reading retreats, cultural talks, and culinary events. Wellness isn’t only physical. It can be food, conversation, learning, spending time outside, and feeling like you’re part of something.

Phaedra with Emily Goldfischer and her daughter Marcy

The Capra was always meant to feel like a home, not a grand, traditional Swiss hotel. My goal is to help protect that feeling while meeting five-star standards. I’m still learning, and I care deeply about doing it well.

Quickfire with Phaedra 

What’s your morning routine? As soon as I wake up, I try to do something that will set up a good foundation for the rest of the day. Usually that’s going for a walk outside, going to the gym, or meditating for 20-30 minutes before I start work. I’ve been very diligent about keeping that ritual and it’s helped me a ton. 

What do you do for self-care? For me, self-care is mostly about consistency and boundaries. I try to find moments of quiet and figure out when I should step back rather than push through. 

Your favourite place in the hotel when it’s quiet? The library, it’s incredibly peaceful and cosy, especially when the fireplace is lit. 

A skill you’re actively working on as a leader? Patience. 

The best advice you’ve been given so far? Be generous and kind without expecting anything in return. 

What excites you most about the future of hospitality? I’m really excited about the rise of solo travel. I love that people are increasingly comfortable travelling alone. Even when guests arrive solo, I think there’s still a deep desire to connect. Hospitality has a powerful role to play in creating gentle, unforced moments of connection, whether through shared tables, spontaneous conversations, or experiences that feel natural rather than orchestrated.