Camille Saint-M'leux crowned Grand de Demain 2026 at the Gault&Millau Tour Île-de-France
Camille Saint-M'leux, named Grand de Demain at the Gault&Millau Tour Île-de-France at the Pavillon Cambon in Paris on Monday, September 8, 2025, embodies a bold, creative new generation.
On Monday September 8 at the Pavillon Cambon, during the Gault&Millau Tour Paris Île-de-France, Camille Saint-M'leux was elevated to the rank of Grand de Demain 2026. A prestigious distinction rewarding his entrepreneurial audacity and promising talent.
After three years at Villa9Trois, Camille Saint-M'leux felt the need to " take up more space, think of a place further away. I decided to leave and find a place that could really be shaped from A to Z in my image ": a desire for total design, from setting to plate.
A location designed for the customer experience
Setting up in the 16ᵉ arrondissement was no accident. The chef wanted to avoid Parisian traffic jams: " I really wanted it to be fluid, easily accessible from many parts of Paris. ". The choice of 16ᵉ turned out to be strategic, facilitating access from western Paris, Boulogne, Versailles, or even Issy-les-Moulineaux.
In the main dining room alone, eight tables offer 16 to 25 covers, while a 10-cover private lounge overlooks the kitchen. Camille describes: " The ceilings are insanely high, with very large bay windows . Tablecloths, reminiscent of a Parisian bourgeois home, sit alongside raw materials, concrete and dark wood, creating a subtle balance between tradition and modernity.
The name Geoélia pays homage to the chef's grandparents: "It 's obvious that iodine is the plotter of the menu, it's the common thread, it's really the seasoning of each dish ". This wink is also a tribute to his Breton origins and the family shipyard business. The logo, featuring the initials Saint-M'leux, embodies this deep-rooted family identity.
Committed and demanding gastronomy
The chef has forged direct partnerships with three fishermen to guarantee the freshness of the fish, while retaining secondary suppliers " in case of storms ". Still in its infancy, the restaurant offers two types of experience: à la carte, bourgeois cuisine with lobster, sweetbreads, pigeon or venison. A 5- to 7-course tasting menu, punctuated by little surprises, always guided by iodine.
Open since June 16, 2025, Camille Saint-M'leux has an excellent track record: " I've got a dream team, some of whom followed me from Villa9Trois, others I've known for ten years, but with whom I'd never worked before, like Romain Pernot, the restaurant manager ...".
A rewarding and motivating title
The nomination as Grand of Tomorrow was received with enthusiasm: " It's magical, because it's a milestone that I think every chef wants to have in his career and in his list of achievements ". For Camille Saint-M'leux, the title validates an asserted identity and encourages the pursuit of this creative and personal path.
