Gault&Millau Celebrated its 50th Birthday

More than 750 guests, including 300 French chefs, gathered on November 4th at the legendary Paris cabaret, Moulin Rouge, to celebrate their grand anniversary and announce the annual laureates of the new G&M 2020 guide.

Published on 04/12/2019 at 00:00

The spectacle lasted for four hours, and guests of the evening enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Moulin Rouge's kitchen, led by Chef David Le Quellec. The program of the gala began with the announcement of the awards for best confectioner, best chef and best sommelier. The executive team at Alain Ducasse's restaurant Louis XV in the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco won a new teamwork award called "Chef d'oeuvre" (Masterpiece). A while later, the Moulin Rouge's spectacle captivated everyone present with its breathtaking acts, colorful costumes, cheerful evergreen music and the dance of nearly 50 beautiful ballerinas and ballet dancers.

Gault & Millau's new top executives, the company's president, Frenchman Jacques Bally and CEO, Russian Vladislav Skvortsov, accompanied the legendary guide director Marc Esquerré, and announced new Gault & Millau Academy. The guide decided that he would no longer evaluate the legendary French restaurants, that is, their chefs who made the history of French gastronomy, and that they would be awarded five Toques d’Or (cook caps) for life. The 10 pillars of French cooking who entered the category also became members of the Gault & Millau Academy and signed a charter in front of the Moulin Rouge audience to commit to enhancing French gastronomy, transferring knowledge and selecting future guide laureates. Among the legends of French cuisine are Alain Ducasse, Michel Guérard, Pierre Gagnaire, Guy Savoy, Alain Passard, Régis Marcon, Marc Veyrat, Georges Blanc, Marc Haeberlin and Michel Trama.

With this move, Gault & Millau responded to a recent decision of Michelin Guide to take away third stars from renowned chefs, sparking their tumultuous reactions. Chef Marc Veyrat even filed a lawsuit against Michelin. The grand Moulin Rouge festivities ended with the announcement of French Chef of the year by the Gault & Millau guide. The prestigious title was given to Chef Arnaud Conckele of Cheval Blanc in Saint Tropez.The forty-two-year-old chef is known for his gentle manner, but also for his creativity and passion for the kitchen.

It was an evening to remember in honor of two journalists, Henry Gault and Christian Millau who, fifty years ago, published their gastronomic guide, totally unaware that it would become one of the greatest international brands on the gastronomy scene.