Please wait

Contact

37-39 rue Boissière
75016 Paris
France

Phone : 01 41 40 99 80

GaultMillau © 2025 All rights reserved

In Haute-Savoie, gastronomy is at the heart of the Toques en Chablais festival

In Haute-Savoie, gastronomy is at the heart of the Toques en Chablais festival

Mathieu Dubus | 9/25/24, 10:17 AM

The Toques en Chablais festival returns to Thonon from October 9 to 13 for a special edition, celebrating the centenary of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France. Discover the program.

2024 is a symbolic year for the world of gastronomy. The title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) has existed for 100 years. An anniversary the Toques en Chablais festival couldn't miss. Numerous chefs have made a name for themselves in the Alpine mountains, including our latest Chef of the Year, Yoann Conte, and MOF Emmanuel Renaut, to name but a few... Some of them have made an appointment, like thousands of visitors, for October 9-13, 2024 in Thonon-les-Bains.

A vast ode to alpine culinary excellence

The Toques en Chablais festival features a packed program. At least 60 Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (Best Craftsmen in France), including 45 from the culinary professions, will be present. Visitors will be able to benefit from the expertise and know-how of specialist chefs, pastry chefs, ice-cream makers, cheesemakers, charcutiers and caterers. Michel Roth, long-time chef at the Ritz Paris, now based in Switzerland, will also be on hand.

As an event within an event, the Dinner In The Sky company, in conjunction with the chefs present, will be offering dinners above the city, 100 metres higher than Lake Geneva. The special feature? The structure of the tables will not be the same as usual. In all, there will be four of them, linked by bridges that the chef will use to serve each table more intimately.

In addition to these meals, the event will feature a farmers' market, to discover the richness of the local terroir. Several workshops will be set up for cooking, pastry-making, baking, cheese-making, oenology and a host of other fun activities. With excellence at the heart of this year's event, in conjunction with the MOFs, a number of prestigious competitions will be held: the Challenge des Mains d'Or in pastry-making, the Concours des Écoles Hôtelières and the Finale du Championnat de France de Sculpture sur Glace. The latter is a new feature, as is the open-air bakery, a space showcasing the "ancestral know-how of artisan baking", explains the press release.

 

These news might interest you

Pâtiss'Art announces its first edition with Nina Métayer as godmother Craftsmen & Know-How

Pâtiss'Art announces its first edition with Nina Métayer as godmother

Normandy goes pastry. From October 26 to 28, 2024, the first Pâtiss'Art show will be held in Deauville. For the occasion, the godmother will be none other than Nina Métayer.
Yoric Tièche, Gault&Millau d'Or 2025 for the PACA - Corse - Monaco region News & Events

Yoric Tièche, Gault&Millau d'Or 2025 for the PACA - Corse - Monaco region

The head chef at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, Saint-Jean de Cap-Ferrat, was named Gault&Millau d'Or at the Gault&Millau Tour PACA - Corse - Monaco.
Edgar Bosquez named Grand de Demain 2025 at the Gault&Millau Tour PACA News & Events

Edgar Bosquez named Grand de Demain 2025 at the Gault&Millau Tour PACA

The chef behind the Ekume restaurant in Marseille was named Grand de Demain 2025 at the Gault&Millau Tour PACA.
Julien Allano brings Bonnieux to life with four new gourmet addresses News & Events

Julien Allano brings Bonnieux to life with four new gourmet addresses

One year after opening JU - Maison de Cuisine in Bonnieux, Julien Allano is inaugurating four new outlets. A bistro is soon to open, but that's not all!
Grand Marnier owes part of its success to this Parisian palace Craftsmen & Know-How

Grand Marnier owes part of its success to this Parisian palace

Known as the spirit of choice for crêpes Suzette, Grand Marnier was not invented for that purpose. Here's the story.
Should we trust the medals on the bottles? News & Events

Should we trust the medals on the bottles?

On a supermarket shelf, similar-looking bottles of wine are lined up at slightly contrasting prices. Without a salesperson, in a time-constrained food shopping area, a sticker placed like a jewel cuts through the act of purchasing. Gold, silver or bronze medals flash more brightly than a label that's not always easy to decipher. Award-winning wine, featured wine An award-winning wine is one that has been presented by the winery at one of the 127 competitions that award these precious badges (in 2024, according to the DGCCRF). The famous Concours Général Agricole, founded in 1870, the world's best Chardonnay or Sauvignon competitions, the Brittany or Mâcon wine competitions, the Millésime Bio challenge... There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from, with no limit on participation, but not without a heavy hand in the wallet. For each cuvée entered, you'll need to pay between 10 and 150 euros, depending on the competition, not including postage and packaging costs and the purchase of macaroons in the event of victory. Attractive spin-offs A potentially interesting calculation, given the commercial visibility these awards bring. In the year following the award, sales of the vintage tend to increase by between 20% and 40%. A boon for the estate, event organizers and supermarkets alike. All the more so as the medals are pouring in. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, of the 12129 wines entered, 3361 were awarded medals, almost half of them gold. French legislation prohibits the awarding of more than a third of the samples presented. A quota with which most competitions flirt. Amateur jury Who awards these accolades? A volunteer jury, at their own expense. Mostly amateurs. The great need for people leaves little room for rigor or traceability. In 2025, at the Concours Général Agricole, over 7,000 people were needed to taste charcuterie, cheeses, jams and wines. At this year's Chardonnay du Monde competition, more than 300 jurors took part, with a limit of 20 samples per person. The most famous estates, which don't need to boost their sales, tend to neglect these competitions. Artisanal wineries, on the other hand, may shy away from these competitions as a matter of distinction, since the shiny stickers are associated with supermarkets. A place where it takes the place of good professional advice. A wine merchant, for example, capable of selling the uniqueness of a cuvée he has followed over the years.

Food products, kitchen equipment, tableware, service solutions...

See the full list of partners who place their trust in Gault&Millau

All our partners
Become a Partner
LEARN MORE