Hugo Souchet, Gault&Millau d'Or 2025 de la Nouvelle-Aquitaine: a loyal relay
Crowned Gault&Millau d'Or 2025 Nouvelle-Aquitaine on June 16 at Château Lafitte d'Yvrac, Hugo Souchet, chef at Prés d'Eugénie in Eugénie-les-Bains, perpetuates the Michel Guérard spirit while imposing his own élan.
On Monday June 16, 2025, at Château Lafitte in Yvrac, Hugo Souchet was awarded the Gault&Millau d'Or for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. A distinction that recognizes more than just a career path, but a loyalty: that of a chef to a house, a vision, a man.
Before arriving at Eugénie-les-Bains,Hugo Souchet's career was written under the golds of the Louis XV, at Alain Ducasse's in Monaco. It was Alain Ducasse who inspired him to join Michel Guérard. "I said no, not at all, because I was very much a city boy at that point in my life. [...] I went there as a courtesy to meet Monsieur and Madame Guérard, and I think I instantly fell in love, both personally and professionally."
This love at first sight gave rise to a rare companionship. "I was lucky enough to spend almost nine years with Monsieur Guérard, morning, noon and night."Over the course of the seasons, the young chef learned a cuisine of instinct and precision, until he mastered every nuance: "I redid the alphabet of cooking with Chef Guérard."
A respectful, living legacy
Since Michel Guérard 's death in August 2024, Hugo Souchet has embodied continuity. But far from imitating, he is perpetuating. "What we're doing now at Les Prés d'Eugénie is a continuation of what I created with Monsieur Guérard back then."
with each dish, the chef strives for a subtle balance between fidelity and personal expression. "On each dish, I always try to find a twist, a little something in homage to my last 9 years." This memory crystallizes in an emblematic dish: "Pigeon with juniper wood, onion tatin and paloumaïre juice. [...] We put it in a casserole dish and lock it in with the juniper. [...] It's a dish with character."
His team, loyal for many years, supported him in this transition:"There are 40 cooks behind us who are always there. Not one of them has left. We experienced the loss of Monsieur Guérard like a family."
On receiving the award, Hugo Souchet confides his emotion:"To have this prize quickly behind us, it's a real source of pride for me, and for the teams. "For him, it's also a way of saying that Les Prés d'Eugénie, " it's not over, it goes on, it continues to live."
