Nominees in the 2027 Theater Manager of the Year category

In the dining room, so much often happens without us even noticing: a glance, a rhythm, the right word at the right moment. Presented at the Gault&Millau Gala, the “Dining Room Manager of the Year” award highlights those who orchestrate this ballet. From the terraces of the Riviera to the opulence of Rue de Rivoli, via the Alpilles, here are the four nominees for 2027.  

Yann Vayé, of La Chèvre d’Or restaurant in Èze

In the airy dining room of La Chèvre d’Or (4 toques), overlooking the bay of Villefranche and Cap Ferrat, he sets the pace. Yann Vayé, who served as head maître d’hôtel at this gourmet restaurant beginning in the late 2010s, is now its director and oversees a team of about twenty people. Since 2024, he has complemented the cuisine of Tom Meyer, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, with elegant, discreet, and warm service, executed with precision that remains unseen. In this château perched above the medieval village of Èze, every meal takes on the air of a grand performance.

• See the Gault&Millau review of La Chèvre d’Or (4 toques)
• View La Chèvre d’Or’s Facebook page

Laurent Soustelle, of the restaurant L’Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence

A native of Aigues-Mortes, Laurent Soustelle developed a passion for the trade while watching his uncle behind the bar at family gatherings. Trained in Mende and then in Nîmes, where he specialized in sommelier studies, he honed his skills at Paul Bocuse’s restaurant in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or before managing the dining room at Michel Kayser’s Restaurant Alexandre (4 toques) in Garons. He joined L’Oustau de Baumanière (5 toques) in 2006 as maître d’hôtel and took over as dining room manager in 2015, when Glenn Viel took over the kitchen. Since then, the two men have collaborated on every dish, right down to the conversation with the guest. “You can be a very good maître d’hôtel, but without harmony within your team, we’re not much of anything! ” Committed to passing on his knowledge, he takes on numerous interns and regularly speaks at hospitality schools in the region.

• See the Gault&Millau review of L’Oustau de Baumanière (5 toques)
• View Laurent Soustelle’s Instagram account

Olivier Bikao, from Restaurant Le Meurice Alain Ducasse in Paris

A native of Colombes who trained at Ferrandi, Olivier Bikao put on his first chef’s jacket at age 16. He learned the high standards of top restaurants under Denis Courtiade, then followed Frédéric Vardon to his new Parisian establishment, which he managed from 2015 to 2020. That year, Alain Ducasse called him personally to entrust him with the dining room at Le Meurice (5 Golden Toques). “When you get a call from the chef, you can’t say no. ” On Rue de Rivoli, alongside Chef Amaury Bouhours and pastry chef Cédric Grolet, he formed a team of thirty-somethings that breathed new life into Paris’s premier luxury hotel, offering precise and attentive service to every guest. Deeply committed to supporting young people, he serves as an ambassador for the Ô Service association.

• See the Gault&Millau review of Restaurant Le Meurice Alain Ducasse (5 Golden Toques)
• ViewOlivier Bikao’s Instagram account

Damian Sanchez Perez, from La Passagère restaurant in Juan-les-Pins

As a teenager, Damian Sanchez Perez had never set foot in a fine-dining restaurant. It was a dishwashing job at a friend’s parents’ brasserie that set everything in motion. A student at the Anderlecht Hotel School, at age 15 he boldly landed a front-of-house position at one of Brussels’ finest restaurants, where he stayed for five years. This was followed by thirteen years in London, including nearly six as sous chef atHélène Darroze’s restaurant. Back in France, this Belgian-Spanish chef settled on the French Riviera and, in 2022, on the advice of his friend Tom Meyer, joined Aurélien Véquaud at La Passagère (3 toques). “It’s a restaurant that offers understated luxury and a family-like atmosphere, where I’m truly thriving alongside a close-knit and motivated team.” His natural ease goes over a treat with a discerning international clientele.

• See the Gault&Millau review of La Passagère (3 toques)
• View Damian Sanchez Perez’s Instagram account