Marie Gricourt, named "Meilleure Ouvrière de France" for 2026
Marie Gricourt, head chef at Restaurant Gric and named “Grande de Demain” for 2027, was crowned “Meilleure Ouvrière de France 2026” in the culinary category on Thursday, October 8.
On October 6, 7, and 8, the final rounds of the 2026 Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition were held. Gathered at the Lycée hôtelier international de Lille, 42 finalists, selected by the COET-MOF (Organizing Committee for Trade Exhibitions), underwent three days of competition under the chairmanship of chef Alain Ducasse.
At the end of this session, Marie Gricourt, named “Grande de Demain” for 2027 by Gault&Millau, won the title of “Meilleure Ouvrière de France 2026” on Thursday. She thus joins Andrée Rosier and Virginie Basselot, the only women to date to have been awarded the MOF title in Culinary Arts.
A remarkable journey
“I always knew I would be a chef, ” said the head chef of Restaurant Gric. Originally from Estouy, near Pithiviers, Marie Gricourt is following in the footsteps of her father, a chef. She trained at the CFA Médéric and honed her skills under Frédéric Anton at Le Pré Catelan (5 toques), Jean-Yves Leuranguer at Fouquet’s (1 toque), andÉric Frechon at Le Bristol. She then joined Guillaume Gomez’s team at the Élysée Palace, becoming the first woman to work in the palace kitchens. In 2020, she joined the team at Christophe Hay’s restaurant La Table (3 toques).
In 2024, she opened her restaurant, Gric (2 toques), with her team. Her establishment offers bistronomic cuisine with a menu that changes monthly, featuring warm, seasonal dishes that blend conviviality and creativity. Last February, she received the “Grande de Demain” award during the Gault&Millau Tour of the Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire regions for 2026, and was subsequently nominated in the “Grand de Demain” category for 2027. Marie Gricourt has now added the title of “Meilleure Ouvrière de France 2026” to her list of achievements.
13 winners honored
Another woman also distinguished herself by becoming “Meilleure Ouvrière de France 2026”: Margaux Moisière, sous-chef at the restaurantl’O des Vignes (2 toques) in Fuissé, Saône-et-Loire. Following the deliberations, 13 candidates were honored. Among them:
- David Charrier, Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot (3 toques), in Saint-Émilion
- Noël Bérard, La Bastide (3 toques)
- Alexis Decoret, Maison Decoret
- Matthieu Derible, Le Art (4 toques)
- Paul Marcon, Restaurant Marcon (5 gold toques)
- Ludovic Nardozza, Asterales (2 toques)
- Yoshitaka Takayanagi, Granite (2 toques)
- Kévin Vaubourg, Le Chalet du Sire (3 toques)
- Samuel Victori, Les Agitateurs (2 toques)
