Franck Quinton crowned Gault&Millau d'Or 2026 for the Normandy region
Manoir du Lys chef Franck Quinton was awarded the Gault&Millau d'Or 2026 Normandie trophy at the Gault&Millau Tour Normandie held this Monday, September 29, 2025 in Le Havre. The award celebrates a family history and local cuisine.
In this house opened in 1978 by his parents, Franck Quinton imagines a cuisine close to nature, and in particular to the forest. The chef shares his thoughts on passing down the generations, local produce and the honor of winning this award.
A story of transmission
Franck Quinton was practically born in the kitchen, into a family of pork butchers and chefs. In the late 1970s, his parents invested in this estate in the heart of the forest at Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, to set up rooms and develop their business. Today, after numerous renovations, the Manoir du Lys has changed, but remains the family home it has always been.
"You can't remain indifferent to a house like this, and to a history like this," says Le Manoir du Lys, a story of transmission... and of family. The chef has now been operating in this hotel-restaurant for 30 years, in the company of his wife, sister and brother-in-law.
A cuisine close to nature
Franck Quinton sublimates forest products, such as mushrooms, wild plants and meats, which he is particularly fond of. He explains: "We've always favored local products, and now we're imagining a cuisine that's entirely forest-based."
Mushrooms are a key product in his work. But the reason may be rather surprising: "The mushroom seduced me, because I like to be in a hurry! You never get the same mushrooms twice, so it helps me to adapt all the time", he explains.
In addition to the local producers he works with, the chef also has a kitchen garden close to his heart, where he grows herbs and vegetables: "My teams pick the produce just before lunch and dinner service, so they're as fresh as possible."
A reward to share
"It's about time!" laughs Franck Quinton, now rewarded for his work in Normandy. But if this award is an honor, it also marks a bittersweet moment: "It's a special situation for me, I would have loved to share this moment with Jean-Luc Tartarin... But it does my teams a lot of good, and my ego too! it motivates everyone. This award underlines the work of a company like ours, based on consistency and continuity."
