Bertrand Noeureuil named Grand de Demain 2024 at the Gault&Millau Tour Nouvelle-Aquitaine

"It's a great reward for a collective we've put together from scratch." Bertrand Noeureuil, Toulouse-born chef of L'Observatoire de Gabriel (3 toques), was named Grand de Demain 2024, at the Gault&Millau Tour Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The event was held this Monday, June 24, 2024 at Hangar 14, Bordeaux.

The history of the restaurant

It's been six months since L'Observatoire du Gabriel (3 toques) welcomed Bertrand Noeureuil into its kitchens. This is the first time Arnaud Donckele's former loyalist has taken on the role of chef in his own right. After ten years at Le Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez (5 toques) and Plénitude (5 toques) in Paris, the Toulouse-born Noeureuil was coming to an "end", he says. The opportunity to return closer to home and, above all, to a wine-growing region.

The restaurant is owned by the Angelus group. This group, which also owns an eponymous château in Saint-Émilion, offered the chef a spectrum of possibilities that convinced him. "Next to the château, there's a mushroom cellar, but they (Angelus) have a nine-hectare farm which is a real asset. It was this farm that made me decide to come here in the first place."

The establishment was awarded a 15/20 rating. The Guide Jaune refers to "successful first tests with a very nice menu-card formula." For Bertrand Noeureuil, the three words that define his cuisine are: "neo-classical, seasonal and cooked". He explains: "neo-classical, because I'm attached to it, whether it's the house I'm in, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine terroir, being close to the farm and the vineyards. The cooking and the season are linked, and we push the cursor of seasonality thanks to the cooking. Sauces, too, always stem from cooking."

An unexpected reward

The title of Grand de Demain, awarded to Bertrand Noeureuil, had not been anticipated at all: "It's clearly a surprise, I gave myself this year to test. I'm happy that it's catching on, that the guide is following suit, and that customers are buying in. It rewards the efforts of a very small initial team, and of a collective that was created over the course of six months." It's also a validation of the work done by the chef, who is now at the helm of an establishment for the first time: "Being the only one to decide is clearly an added pressure. I'm the only one to taste," he laughs.

▶ Read the full portrait of chef Bertrand Noeureuil in the Têtes d'affiche section of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine guide on sale this Thursday, June 27, 2024.