William Legros Named 2027 Young Talent of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region
As head chef of the Touch’d’Art restaurant in Belfort, William Legros was named “Young Talent 2027” for the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region during the Gault&Millau Tour. This distinction recognizes the unconventional career path of a restaurateur who moved from the dining room to the kitchen, driven by passion, resilience, and a signature culinary style.
On Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Château de Saulon near Dijon, William Legros, chef and owner of La Touch’d’Art, received the 2027 Young Talent Award for the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. This award recognizes his unconventional career path, marked by self-reflection, perseverance, and a passion for gastronomy forged through his various experiences. Having transitioned from front-of-house to the kitchen, he has developed a technically sophisticated yet personal culinary style that has earned him his current reputation. The award was presented to him by Franck Néel de Plantin.
An Unexpected Journey
A native of Val-de-Marne, William Legros discovered the world of the restaurant industry at a very young age. When he began his training at the CFA, he intended to focus exclusively on front-of-house service. “To me, the roughnecks were the ones working in the kitchen,” he says today with a laugh. He then gained a wealth of experience, notably at the Château de Bournel golf club in the Doubs region, and later at the Tariche restaurant in Switzerland, where working in a small kitchen team allowed him to take his first steps in the kitchen.
He then deepened his culinary training at the Le Mulligan golf restaurant in Switzerland. There, he discovered low-temperature cooking techniques, which would later become the hallmark of his cuisine. Although he didn’t yet consider himself a true chef, he decided to take the next step by opening his own restaurant in Belfort.
COVID-19: A Turning Point
At the end of 2019, William Legros opened the restaurant Fleur de Lys. A few weeks later, the health crisis hit the restaurant industry hard. Forced to face this unprecedented situation alone, he gradually stepped away from the front of the house to take permanent charge of the kitchen. Supported during the first few weeks by his former Swiss chef, he honed his skills and developed his own distinctive style of cooking, centered on precise cooking with an immersion heater rather than an oven.
In late 2024, he entrusted the operation of his restaurant to a new team, which renamed it Touch’d’Art. The experiment was short-lived, and a few months later, William Legros decided to take back the reins of his restaurant. His return quickly won over the people of Belfort, who were charmed by his technically precise, masterful, and accessible cuisine.
Today, the 2027 Young Talent Award recognizes this unique journey. More than just an accolade, it celebrates William Legros’s ability to turn the unexpected into opportunities and to build, with determination, a culinary identity all his own.
