How does the Gault&Millau Young Talent Award work?

Finding and supporting young talent is the vocation of the Dotation Jeunes Talents. Zoom in on one of the Yellow Guide's flagship missions, now in its 10th year.

What is the Dotation Jeunes Talents Gault&Millau ?

Since 2014, the principle has remained the same: every young chef who wants to "set up their first business", can aspire to benefit from the Dotation Jeunes Talents Gault&Millau .

The Guide's teams bring together young restaurateur-entrepreneurs whose project has been selected, and B-to-B partners from the C.H.R. sector .

The latter are committed to advising and supporting the "endowed" in their life project, by providing them with a grant in the form of equipment, raw materials or services. The aim is to support these young people and the creation of their establishment, which is proving to have real potential.

What are the advantages of the Gault&Millau Jeunes Talents Grant?

In addition to the support provided by the partners, the program offers personalized assistance to these chefs, as well as a guarantee of their reputation in the eyes of the public and financial bodies approached by the "endowed" chefs .

A real springboard for these young people, who can begin their great adventure with greater peace of mind!

Here are the partners for the 2025 edition of the Dotation Jeunes Talents: Agence 14 Septembre, BE WTR, Bonnet Thirode, De Buyer, Kaviari, L'Addition, Nespresso, Plantin, Robur, Rougié, Spiegelau, Sysco and Winterhalter.

How to apply?

Each year, a large number of applications are examined, taking into account the restaurant's concept, location, menu, number of covers, decoration, etc., to select 12 or even 14.

Are you opening your first restaurant in 2027? Are you under 35? Would you like to apply for the Dotation Jeunes Talents? Fill in this form to apply!

How does the Dotation Jeunes Talents Gault&Millau event work?

Once the Yellow Guide teams have selected the opening projects, 4 ceremonies are organized over the course of the year, in Hotel Schools, Training Centers or Culinary Institutes.

A morning of "speed-dating" is organized between D.J.T. beneficiaries and the partners who support them. These provide an opportunity to discuss in greater detail both the restaurant project and the endowment to be provided by each partner. This is followed by the official ceremony, attended by chefs, partners, local councillors, students, the press, etc .

The D.J.T. is also a great opportunity to talk about transmission and, for the students hosting the Ceremony, to exchange ideas with their elders at conferences hosted and organized by Gault&Millau. A superb opportunity for them to nurture future entrepreneurial projects, and why not, to apply in a few years' time to become, in their turn, Gault&Millau Young Talent Endowments.

The Dotation Jeunes Talents Gault&Millau, and after ?

The D.J.T. helps chefs - and this is the most important thing - to open their own restaurant, and for over 10 years, 90% of them have done so!

Gault&Millau then regularly monitors the winners and their life and career paths. In this way, you can regularly find former award winners at regional Gault&Millau Tours; for example, Antoine Villard, Dandelion, awarded in 2024 and winner of the Jeune Talents Ile-de-France trophy the same year; or Clément Guillemot and Flora Le Pape, Choko Ona, endowed in 2019 and Grand de Demain trophy winner in 2025. Endowed artists are also very often part of the 109 selection, sang neuf, as was the case with Clémence Taillandier and Philippe Platel, Pulpe, endowed in 2024 and part of the 2025 selection of the Magazine Hors-Série 109, sang neuf.

Who are the former endowed artists?

to date, more than 130 creative projects have been supported, the first being that ofAlexandre Mazzia in 2014, then elected Yellow Guide Chef of the Year in 2019 and, still with 5 toques to his credit, for his restaurant AM par Alexandre Mazzia.