Pastry Chef of the Year 2027: Clément Réauté Named by Gault&Millau

Clément Réauté, pastry chef at Christophe Hay’s five-toque gourmet restaurant Fleur de Loire, in Blois, received the 2027 Pastry Chef of the Year award from Guilhem Pinault, CEO of De Buyer, during the 2026 Gault&Millau gala, which took place on Monday, November 9, at the Carrousel du Louvre. Other talented pastry chefs were nominated in this category: Jonathan Chapuy of the Benjamin restaurant in Megève, Margaux Boisson of the Dialogues restaurant in Biarritz, and Valentin Mille of the Yannick Alléno group in Paris and Courchevel.

“I started more than four years ago now as an intern at the old restaurant, before helping to open Fleur de Loire, so I’m part of the opening team. I really want to thank the entire pastry team, all the kitchen teams who also showcase our desserts, the sommeliers, of course, and, of course, the chef who has placed his trust in me all this time and allowed me to develop my creativity to this point,” the winner said on stage.

From Weekend Desserts to French Champion

For the pastry chef, it all began with weekend desserts. Raised in a family where cooking was a big part of life, Clément Réauté turned to sweets at a very young age, driven by a desire to bring joy to his loved ones. Trained at Ferrandi’s Bordeaux campus, he worked at Stéphane Carrade’s Skiff Club in Pyla-sur-Mer, then at La Table du Castellet during Christophe Bacquié’s tenure. He then joined Christophe Hay as an intern at La Maison d’à Côté in Montlivault, before working his way up to the position of pastry chef at the five-toque gourmet restaurant Fleur de Loire in Blois. On April 3, 2025, in Rennes, he won the title of French Dessert Champion.

In his dishes, Clément Réauté draws on local ingredients and produce from the restaurant’s garden, such as apples from Château de Talcy with parsley and candied fennel, or Hardy butter pears poached in elderflower, served with a sage cream.