Winners of Gault&Millau 2025: Meet best chefs, sommeliers, and maître d’s

Frédéric Anton, Chef of the Year 2025. Photo from https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065124043330&locale=fr_FR

Frédéric Anton, a 60-year-old veteran, was awarded the Chef of the Year 2025 trophy by Gault&Millau. The winner started his culinary journey when he was just 20 years old. Anton’s decisive turn came when he collaborated with Chef Joël Robuchon in Paris. From then on, his success led him to receive numerous recognitions, such as the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France title in 2000, and three Michelin stars by 2007 as he helmed the Le Pré Catelan restaurant.

The extremely deserving cook, today, reigns over three emblematic establishments, namely Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower, the Don Juan II yacht, and his flagship, Le Pré Catelan. Over the decades, Frédéric Anton has played a significant role in mentoring the younger generations, authored several cookbooks, and participated in shows like Top Chef and the French version of MasterChef. Though there are many options to choose from when it comes to his restaurants, we recommend heading to Le Pré Catelan.

Nestled in the outskirts of Paris, Le Pré Catelan is an über luxurious hotel surrounded by a lovely green oasis. The magnificent venue houses not one but two distinct dining destinations of Frédéric Anton — the first — a three Michelin-starred main restaurant designed by architect Pierre-Yves Rochon, and a classy bistro called La Ferme du Pré.

The former space offers the perfect contemporary setting to enjoy the seasonal tasting menu presented by the chef’s culinary team, while the latter features an earthy wooden vibe for Parisian café specialties. If you cannot secure a reservation at the starred establishment, there will always be room in the bistro, as well as a few wonderful outdoor seating areas in nature.

Get ready to indulge your taste buds in gastronomic delights like cherry wood smoked salmon in fennel cream with wasabi elements, stone crab in dashi stock with walnuts, roasted cod filet on a bed of semolina with dates, langoustine ravioli with foie gras, poached lobster tail with caviar in tarragon emulsion, and couscous-style squab (pigeon) with chickpeas. Satisfy your sweet cravings with their signature dessert items, such as bitter cacao chocolate tart and pollen-flavored sablé (shortbread cookie) with honey ice cream.

10-course menu — €230
Chef’s tasting menu — €295

Sébastien Nabaile, Pastry Chef of the Year 2025. Photo from. https://www.facebook.com/hoteldepavie/

No meal in the world can be complete without a decadent dessert item at the end. And no one makes better sweet dishes than the Pastry Chef of the Year 2025 winner, Sébastien Nabaile. The 35-year-old pâtissier from Saint-Étienne began his career with Marc Meneau before joining Philippe Etchebest in Le Table de Pavie. His journey began as sous chef originally, before transitioning to pastries under the tutelage of Cédric Béchade, and today, with Yannick Alléno. Though the restaurant he works at happens to possess two Michelin stars, it is his delightful creations that have customers rushing in through the doors.

The reason for his tremendous success, as he said, is that he works only with seasonal ingredients, exclusively procured from short supply chains or from the garden table, cultivated on nearby vineyard plots that provide fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs. The only way to get a taste of his creations is to head on over to Hôtel de Pavie in Saint-Émilion.

Sébastien Nabaile is responsible for the creation of the dessert menus for two restaurants inside the Hôtel de Pavie and a bakery store called Le Bistrot du Clocher. In our opinion, we believe the best place to have an amazing dining experience would be a meal at Le Table de Pavie. It is a two-Michelin-starred fine establishment run under the watchful eyes of Chef Yannick Alléno.

The spot offers two tasting menus, with one featuring the signature classics of the Bordeaux region and the other — plant-based cuisine that presents imaginative combinations of garden, vine, and earth in a refined way. Visitors get a chance to relish scrumptious dishes, such as baked lamb shoulder with asparagus in a red wine jus, poached cod filet topped with caviar in lemon caper emulsion, grilled turbot in fig sauce with crispy zucchini florets, pan-fried duck foie gras with bacon shavings, and wood-fired veal in spring onion mint sauce. End your meal on a sweet note with Nabaile’s flagship delights like warm chocolate tart in béchamel sauce with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and fig coussinet (cushion) with honey from the château, elevated with lemon balm leaves from the garden.

Empreinte végétalisée — €255
Table de Pavie — €305

Bastien Debono, Sommelier of the Year 2025. Photo from https://www.facebook.com/YoannConteCollection

The winner of France's Best Sommelier competition in 2024, Bastien Debono, is also the Sommelier of the Year 2025 by Gault&Millau. The son of farmers, he started working in the hospitality industry at the age of 13. His first posting was a crêperie in Valberg, where the owner was extremely passionate about wines and would sit with young Bastien and teach him about different types of Champagne. Here, he learned that a variety of vinos possess unique flavor profiles, scents, and tastes. After seeing his interest grow, the manager offered him a real contract and also grew her cellar collection with his assistance.

After that, Mr. Debono got a sommelier diploma in Marseille, interned at Château de Pibarnon, did some work with Gérald Passedat, and after a stint in England, settled at La Table de Yoann Conte as their Sommelier Director.

Situated on the banks of Lake Annecy, La Table de Yoann Conte, inside Hôtel et Restaurant La Maison Bleue, is a farm-to-table establishment that offers cuisine of the Alps and Brittany. Though the brand has been built by a Breton chef, Yoann Conte, the kitchen is helmed by Executive Chef Julien Valero. Together they fuel each other's creativity to present a menu that respects and highlights the produce of the land, lakes, and mountains of the nearby region (even their poetic menu names are inspired by the surrounding nature). The food selections are minimalistic and down-to-earth, but elevated enough to have obtained two Michelin stars and a green star for a strong sustainable gastronomy.

Guests can choose between two tasting menus with wine pairing, or order individual dishes from the à la carte offering. Some of the exquisite items you can sample here are hot oysters topped with buckwheat foam, poached brill in caper butter with baby spinach, grilled lamb loin with vegetable medley in savory jus, roasted chicken with caramelized carrots in pan sauce, and charred bluefin tuna topped with caviar. For the complete experience, take the advice of Bastien Debono for the perfect wine pairing with your meal.

Lac & Montagne — €310
L’effet "Mer" — €410

Nicolas Brossard, Restaurant Manager of the Year. Photo from https://www.facebook.com/ccoutanceau

While the food gets most of the attention in the hospitality industry, it is the service that sets any restaurant apart from its competitors. The satisfaction of every customer is in the hands of the floor manager, and they need to be organized, pleasant, and able to make quick decisions. Honoring this non-quantifiable aspect of an establishment, Gault&Millau has awarded Restaurant Manager of the Year 2025 to Nicolas Brossard. He has been working at the Christopher Coutanceau restaurant in La Rochelle since 2003.

His career journey began in Louis XV with Alain Ducasse after completing his sommelier diploma. Here, he was noticed by Richard and Maryse Coutanceau and offered a job at their spot. After a few years of working together in 2007, they presented him with a contract to be part of the business. Since then, Nicolas Brossard has single-handedly put the dining destination on the map and made it recognizable for its exceptional service standards.

Named after the passionate fisherman chef, Christopher Coutanceau is a regal culinary oasis where the sea is the universe. After taking over the business from his father in 2007, along with Nicolas Brossard, the cook has managed to put his own stamp on the exquisite menu that has been serving the local produce since 1984. From the outside, the place looks minimalistic and pleasant, but once you step in, an architectural shock engulfs you.

The interiors are bathed in comfort thanks to the harmony of soft colors, fluidity of clean lines, and the panorama of the charming beach nearby, where fishing and leisure boats dock. The kitchen team is helmed by Chef Coutanceau, while the front of the house is run under the leadership of Brossard. Diners can find specialty dishes like seared spider crab in lemon foam with artichoke, lightly smoked octopus legs with black shallots, baked cuttlefish served with fennel in creamy trout jus, stewed blue lobster with mushroom ravioli, and langoustine tartare with oyster medley in iodine foam. In desserts, do not miss out on their signature lemon soufflé with elderflower and chocolate eclair with rhubarb jelly.

Sea Trip menu — €260
Wine and drinks pairing — €140

Brice Goeuriot and Margaux Le Baillif, Young Talent of the Year 2025. Photo from https://www.facebook.com/ccoutanceau

As the saying goes, the younger generation holds the key to the future. The same can be true for the F&B industry; recognizing this, Gault&Millau has a new award segment called Young Talent of the Year 2025. This year, the recognition was bestowed upon Brice Goeuriot and Margaux Le Baillif, a couple both in and out of the kitchen. They have had a wonderful career trajectory in which they had the honor of working for established names like David Loisel, Florent Guillemot, and Sylvestre Wahid.

In 2023, the duo took the plunge and opened the flagship restaurant called Nuance in Bayonne. Within a year of inception, the spot got a 14/20 Gault&Millau rating and the Jeune Talent de l'Année, or the young talent of the year trophy. All we can do now is wait and see where these two genius cooks take the establishment in the future.

Step into the promises of Nuance in the heart of the Old Bayonne neighborhood for a culinary surprise by Chefs Brice Goeuriot and Margaux Le Baillif. It is a cozy upscale establishment serving locally sourced, sustainable produce of the region. The ambiance is intimate and comfortable, complete with exposed stone walls, a patterned tile bar, wallpapers designed by Laur Meyrieux, Brotherwood furniture, and white marble tables, that are all curated by Le Vivier architecture studio.

The cooking team works with only organic ingredients acquired from small producers from the Basque and Landes regions. Enjoy lamb tartlet with braised lettuce, pan-seared Normandy scallops surrounded by clam sauce in a browned butter emulsion, roasted pigeon with potato pancakes in a grape reduction sauce, veal sweetbreads in a tomato confit, and grilled tenderloin with asparagus in red wine jus. Opt for desserts like apple tart with fruit compôte in a lemon balm sorbet.

Anchoring 4-course menu — €49
Wine pairing — €28

Heritage 6-course menu — €69
Wine pairing — €35

Clément Guillemot, Grand de Demain de l'Année 2025. Photo from https://www.facebook.com/chokoonaEspelette

Grand de Demain de l'Année, or the Greats of Tomorrow, is a category that can be called a gamble. As stated by Marc Esquerré, Director of Investigations at the Gault&Millau, these chefs are most likely to keep climbing the ladder of success or not, but either way, get ready to hear about them in the future. This year, the award has been bestowed upon Clément Guillemot, the chef currently running the Choko Ona restaurant in Espelette.

He has had an exemplary cooking career dedicated to Basque cuisine. Having worked under great names and in regal establishments, such as Paul Bocuse and Gordon Ramsay, he was recruited by Cédric Béchade to join the Auberge Basque. Later on, Clément, together with his partner Flora, moved to Choko Ona in Espelette within the Basque Country. Whether he will be one of the best names in the future, only time will tell, but for now, we highly recommend sampling his offering by visiting Choko Ona.

Though Choko Ona has been running successfully for many years, since the takeover of the kitchen by Clément and Flora, the place has just gotten a new lease of life. Together, they have been fine-tuning little touches for guests to fully embrace the sustainable culinary scene of the Basque Country. For instance, the tables are facing the open kitchen garden of aromatic flowers and herbs, which the visitors can admire and also taste on their plates.

There is also an outdoor terrace from where patrons can enjoy the warm ambience while being surrounded by gargantuan mountains. The menu presented by Clément’s team revolves around local ingredients served in a multi-course dining experience. Some of the unique delicacies you can indulge in are grilled langoustine with white asparagus in saffron broth, braised confit foie gras accompanied by Arto Gorria corn foam with piment d'Espelette (locally grown chili pepper), crispy duck breast in a blood orange emulsion, and seared veal in horseradish cream. The restaurant's drinks selection perfectly complements the flavor profiles of the meal, thanks to regional French wines, craft beers, and signature cocktails.

The Sheep Trail menu — €72
Wine pairing — €40

The Fox's Walk menu — €91
Wine pairing — €50

If you have had the privilege of enjoying a gastronomic experience in any of the above chefs’ establishments, drop a comment in the comment section below. France is a massive culinary oasis with lots to offer its visitors. Do check out some of our other food and travel guides to help plan an ideal foodie itinerary:

Provençal side of French cuisine: 10 dishes to try in Nice

French breakfast in Toulouse & the best restaurants to enjoy it

Honfleur, Normandy: Top French Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants