Gault&Millau Belgium: Karen Torosyan named Chef of the Year 2026
The 23ᵉ edition of the Gault&Millau Belgium guide crowns Karen Torosyan (Bozar Restaurant, Brussels) Chef of the Year 2026 and salutes a promising generation of talent.
Emilie Lesur
At Brussels Expo, on November 3, 2025, in front of over 2,000 guests, Gault&Millau unveiled its annual prize list. The title of Chef of the Year 2026 went to Karen Torosyan, of the Bozar Restaurant in Brussels. Of Armenian origin, in love with Belgium, the chef has made a name for himself through his rigor and quest for perfection. at Bozar, he sublimates the classics with the precision of a goldsmith and a profound humanity. " Year after year, Karen Torosyan establishes himself as one of the great artisans of taste ", emphasizes the guide's editorial team.
Up-and-comers to watch
The future of Belgian gastronomy looks bright. Three Young Chefs of the Year embody this renewal: Kevin Graf (De Bakermat, Ninove) for Flanders, Basile De Wulf (Basile Cuisine Gourmande, Perwez) for Wallonia, and David-Alexandre Bruno (Quartz, Ixelles) for Brussels. Three different profiles, but the same desire: to revisit terroir with audacity and sincerity.
New products and awards
This 23ᵉ edition of Gault&Millau Belgium and Luxembourg brings together over 1,340 addresses, including 153 new entrants and 166 up-and-comers. Among the pleasant surprises: Est in Leuven (15/20), Coquo in Bierwart (13.5/20) and Eliane in Brussels (17/20). The guide also singles out Inge Waeles (Hostess of the Year), Steven Wullaert (Sommelier of the Year) and Le Julien (Dessert of the Year). The Jane (Antwerp, 18.5/20) and Maison Colette (Westerlo, 17.5/20) confirm their excellence.
A guide to the future
In addition to its awards, Gault&Millau creates the Horeca Student Fund, designed to support student hoteliers from modest backgrounds. And with over 250,000 visitors a month, the gaultmillau.be website has established itself as the Belgian culinary reference.
Essonne-based pastry chef Yann Brys reveals five creations that perfectly represent his world. Among other things, the Meilleur Ouvrier de France talks about his now-famous tourbillon.
Agroforestry to reenchant the Château de Javernand
Total grassing, 240 trees planted per hectare in the heart of the vines, pulling out vines to make room for them... At Château de Javernand in the Chiroubles appellation, Pierre Prost and Arthur Fourneau are rethinking everything to revive their soil and produce fresh, silky wines.
In French Flanders, just a stone's throw from Mont des Cats, Mont Noir and Mont Kokereel, strange plantations catch the eye of those unaccustomed to vertical vines that seem to reach for the sky. Welcome to another hop-growing region.
In Sausset-les-Pins, this restaurant organizes the first French Bouillabaisse Championship
The event, organized by La Calanque Bleue, will take place on Sunday, December 7, at the restaurant. Six chefs will compete for the title of "France's Best Bouillabaisse".
Monegasque chef Marcel Ravin was honored for his commitment to agriculture and respect for producers, at a ceremony presided over by the French ambassador to Monaco and Prince Albert II.
With three main production areas: the South-West, Anjou and Alsace, some thirty appellations, and volumes that vary from vintage to vintage, the market for sweet and syrupy wines is experiencing varying fortunes in the face of changing consumer trends.
