Gault&Millau Tour Centre Val de Loire 2023

• The godfather: Christophe Hay

Our Chef of the Year 2021, renowned for his inventive cuisine inspired by local produce from the Loire Valley region, where he is based, is an undeniable godfather of choice for this edition. His brand-new restaurant Fleur de Loire, rated 18.5/20 (4 toques), has been a resounding success since it opened.

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• Trophée Gault&Millau d'Or, Mathieu Guibert, Anne de Bretagne, La Plaine-sur-Mer, 17/20 (4 toques)

An ambitious chef, Mathieu Guibert worked as Philippe Mille's assistant at Les Crayères in Reims for almost five years before receiving a call from Philippe and Michèle Vételé, who were looking for someone to take over the Anne de Bretagne restaurant in La Plaine-sur-Mer. "The Vételé family made me an offer. I thought about it a lot. I told myself that a challenge like this is a huge thing. I also remembered the phrase 'it's better to have remorse than regret'. Six years later, our Gault&Millau d'Or has retained and strengthened the restaurant's 4 toques, supported 45 people and taken on this new responsibility, while retaining its core values.

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• Sommelier Trophy, Marie-Cécile Frampier, Le Manoir de la Régate, Nantes, 14.5/20 (2 toques)

"I started out with a BTS in international trade, which didn't seem to have much to do with the hotel business. Then I went to England to work in the restaurant business. It was my first contact with gastronomy, and I really enjoyed it. With a vocational diploma in hotel management in her pocket, followed by an additional qualification in sommellerie, in 2017 she joined Domaine de Manville, in Les Baux-de-Provence, as a commis sommelière. After two years in Switzerland as sommelier at the Didier de Courten restaurant, she returned to Nantes, to the Manoir de la Régate run by the Pérou family. Joining in June 2022, she was awarded the Sommelier Centre-Val de Loire & Pays de la Loire trophy in 2023.

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• Trophée Jeune Talent, Sharon and Jason Le Glatin, Maison Nipa, Fillé,13,5/20 (2 toques)

"We absolutely wanted to open in Fillé," Jason's hometown, "or right next door," explains the young chef. When the Auberge du Rallye was put up for sale, we didn't hesitate. We chose to rename it "Nipa", a term which in the Philippines (Sharon's country of origin) refers to the palm leaf used to roof traditional houses."The opening of their restaurant to Franco-Philippine cuisine is a real success shared by Julien Gangneux, for his excellent work in the dining room.

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• Trophée Techniques d'Excellence, Jacques Arrayet, L'Aubinière, Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes, 15/20 (3 toques)

Military service in the officers' mess, experience as a chef in a number of different establishments - Jacques Arrayet's career took in many forms before he took over his parents-in-law's inn in Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes in 1989. This former coaching inn has since evolved into a 12-room hotel with a 45-seat gourmet restaurant. This award is in addition to the Trophée Gault&Millau Grand de Demain received in 1997.

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• Trophée Tradition d'Aujourd'hui, Pierre Koneicko, Auberge de L'Île, L'Île-Bouchard, 14/20 (2 toques)

"Even though I'd always wanted to work in the restaurant business, it was the front-of-house and sommelier professions to which I first turned."This self-taught chef joined his parents' Auberge de l'Île when they were looking for a chef. He admits that it took him about ten years to find his true culinary identity. "My cuisine is above all traditional. "My clientele", he says, "like well-stocked plates, but don't get me wrong, my cooking is by no means old-fashioned!"Let's face it!

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• Trophée Cuisine de la Mer, des Lacs et des Rivières, Julien Baradel, MAJU, La Turballe, 12,5/20 (1 toque)

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"Ma" as in Marine, "Ju" as in Julien, Maju 2 syllables that reflect this atypical couple in today's restaurant world, for this former artistic director and this literary bachelor. A stint at Ferrandi made him fall in love with the profession. The young man joined several brigades and the FNTP management club on the Champs-Élysées, whose menu was designed by Michel Sarran.spent two extraordinary years there... the budget was virtually unlimited, and we had access to the finest produce, especially small-catch fish... Later, he explains, "We wanted to open our restaurant... by the sea, to have access to the best fish. La Turballe offered us this opportunity. We opened on December 31, 2021, with two employees. We now have nine."

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• Trophée Grand de Demain, Loïs Bée, La Table d'à Côté, Ardon, 15/20 (3 toques)

Loïs Bée demonstrates the qualities of precision, self-sacrifice and modesty that are the hallmarks of great talent. "I'm extremely lucky," confides Loïs Bée today, since Christophe Hay entrusted him with the kitchens of his Table d'à Côté. "He gives me carte blanche. I can create 90% of what I imagine."His talent, put into practice in this restaurant, has been closely observed by Gault&Millau, which unquestionably awards him the Trophée de Grand de Demain.

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• Trophée jeune talent en Salle, Émilie Ali Dra, Roza, Nantes, 13,5/20 (2 toques)

An inquisitive customer, Émilie Ali Dra has always been attracted to front-of-house service. "I said to myself, 'Why not be on the other side of the mirror?After working her way through all the restaurant trades, an experience that shaped her enormously, the young woman left for New Zealand, then Switzerland, to broaden her experience. In 2022, chef Jean-François Pantaléon offered her a position as assistant headwaiter in his new restaurant, Roza, in Nantes. A job made for her, quickly rewarded with the Jeune Talent en Salle trophy for the Centre Val de Loire 2023 region.

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• Trophée Accueil, Aurélie Di Gennaro, Au Relais du Gué de Selle, Mézangers, 12,5/20 (1 toque)

Aurélie Di Gennaro's career path is unique, to say the least. The young woman took her first steps in front-of-house service at the Relais du Gué de Selle, in Mézangers. It was also here that she took up her first position as receptionist. Five years later, Aurélie decided to move on to new horizons, managing over 150 appart-hotels... In 2018, an opportunity presents itself when her first employer announces that he wants to sell his establishment to retire. It was a done deal. The following year, Aurélie and her husband became the owners of this 27-room hotel and its gourmet restaurant. As she says, "I offered retirement to those who offered me my first permanent contract."

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• Trophée Terroir d'Exception, Clément Dumont, Arbore & Sens, Loches, 12,5/20 (1 toque)

Born in 1995 in Saumur, but raised in Chinon, Clément Dumont didn't apprentice under the skirts of a cook mother. "On the other hand, my grandparents lived in the countryside and were virtually self-sufficient in meat and vegetables. They loved the land and fine produce, and I learned a lot from them," recalls Clément Dumont. Saint-Barth, Corsica, the Alps, Australia, then back to the Centre Val de Loire in Azay-le-Rideau and Loches, where the couple now flourish. It's in this rather exceptional setting that he sets out to promote and defend local production. Far from the exuberance of the palaces of their youth.

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• Trophée pâtissier, Maxime Maniez, Fleur de Loire, Blois, 18.5/20 (4 toques)

Originally, I was particularly attracted to chocolate-making," recalls Maxime Maniez. I was passionate about it and wanted to get into the business straight away. In my family, I have an uncle who is a baker, now based in Paris, but he advised me to start my training with baking and pastry-making. I listened to him, and I think I did the right thing."A sensible decision for the young chef, shared by Gault&Millau, who today awarded him the Pâtissier trophy for the Centre Val de Loire 2023 region.

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