Nominees in the 2027 Young Talent of the Year category
Who will win the 2027 Young Talent of the Year award at the Gault&Millau Gala? Among the six annual awards, this one honors the next generation.
Among the recent restaurant openings across France, four chefs have caught the attention of the judges. They are in the running for the 2027 Young Talent of the Year award.
Noé Viviès, of Jozy restaurant in Rennes
Noé Viviès, a young Breton barely 30 years old, cut his teeth in Brest at his father’s restaurant, then in Amsterdam, in Hong Kong at Amber, and in Japan, as a chef-in-residence with his partner and business associate Lucy Rosedale. Upon returning to Brittany, the duo opened Jozy (2 toques) in Rennes in September 2025. The restaurant works exclusively with small-scale producers, following the rhythm of the seasons, and shares whole animals with Fezi, the neighboring restaurant run by Cédric Bruneau.
Thomas Flachaire, of Chalet Flachaire in Abondance
Thomas Flachaire, born in 1995 in Aix-en-Provence, trained at the Institut Paul Bocuse, then under Hugo Roellinger, Régis Marcon, Jacques Marcon, and Michel Bras. It was ultimately at César Troisgros that he met Estelle. In 2023, the couple purchased a 1970s chalet above Abondance, which they largely renovated themselves. With support from the Gault&Millau Grant, he opened Chalet Flachaire (2 toques) on February 14, 2025, featuring five dining tables and two suites.
- See the Gault&Millau review of Chalet Flachaire
- View Thomas Flachaire’s Instagram account
Marine Hervouet, of the restaurant DAMES in Dol-de-Bretagne
Marine Hervouet, who has been passionate about cooking since childhood, enrolled in culinary school at age 16, where she met her future partner, Pascaline Albicini. She worked for two years in London under Alyn Williams, then five years at Alain Passard’s L’Arpège, where she became sous-chef, before joining Bruno Verjus in Paris in 2017. Together with Pascaline, a native of Saint-Malo and a wine enthusiast, she opened DAMES (2 toques) in 2025, in a former roadside inn in Dol-de-Bretagne, near the train station and the sea.
- See the Gault&Millau review of DAMES
- View Marine Hervouet’s Instagram account
Benjamin Millard, from the restaurant Pialha in Nice
Benjamin Millard, originally from Auvergne, made a name for himself in Lyon at Agastache before settling in Nice in early 2026. In the working-class neighborhood of Riquier, he opened Pialha (2 toques), a friendly and accessible tavern centered around an open kitchen, whose name comes from the Auvergnat dialect. Working solo, he greets guests, cooks, and serves about twenty diners. At lunch, his creative and colorful market-driven menu changes weekly and is reasonably priced.
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