Anthony Maubert, Gault&Millau d'Or 2026 at the Gault&Millau Tour Centre-Val de Loire & Pays de la Loire

On Monday February 9, 2026, during the Gault&Millau Tour Centre-Val de Loire & Pays de la Loire held at the Little Atlantique Brewery in Nantes, Anthony Maubert was awarded the Gault&Millau d'Or trophy.he Gault&Millau d'Or trophy, in recognition of his work as a committed, precise and resilient chef at the head of the Assa restaurant in Blois.

A chef rooted in his region

At the helm of the Assa restaurant, which he runs in tandem with his wife Fumiko, Anthony Maubert pursues a cuisine guided by the product and direct links with producers. After the fire that destroyed his establishment and his home, the chef had to reinvent himself by moving into the Novotel in Blois. "We managed to bounce back fairly quickly and create a place that was ephemeral, but in our image ," he explains. " We've even recreated an oven, which will be relocated in the future project. "

Now installed in a deliberately reduced format, with seven to eight tables, he assumes this choice, which initially questioned him: " It's a configuration that scared me at first, but which we've learned to appreciate and which we'll renew. We're able to concentrate and control precisely what we want to serve. "Fewer place settings, more rigor. All in all, the chef describes his rethinking as " very beneficial ".

His cuisine is based on local, committed sourcing: vegetables grown in Blois, Loire fish delivered live, organically-farmed meats, all worked in their entirety. " My philosophy is not to sacrifice an animal just for a fillet or a rib ," insists Anthony Maubert, who transforms charcuterie, breads, ice creams and maturations on site. " The aim is to please the customer.

Grand de Demain 2026 at the Gault&Millau Tour of his region

This trajectory was saluted on Monday February 9, 2026, during the Gault&Millau Tour Centre-Val de Loire & Pays de la Loire, organized at Little Atlantique Brewery in Nantes, where Anthony Maubert received the Grand de Demain 2026 trophy.

This recognition was warmly received by the chef, who does not shirk from the doubts he experienced after the disaster. " We asked ourselves whether we should continue to exist. Were we taking unnecessary risks? "he confides. Today, the award confirms the choice he and his team made. " Seeing that it works, that customers feel it, comforts us in our decisions. "