By Yasmine Maylin
« The discovery of a new food does more for the happiness of humankind than the discovery of a star. “Brillat-Savarin wrote this in 1825, two centuries before the star became a unit of measurement in gastronomy. The sentence could hardly have better summarized the spirit of the day dedicated to TheFork Awards 2026.
The meeting took place in the courtyard of the Nissim de Camondo Museum, a stone's throw from Parc Monceau, in the Camondo, the former carriage house of the residence built in 1911 for Count Moïse de Camondo. Coffered ceiling, metal columns, cobblestones: a service area transformed into a dining room, which has itself recently changed hands, decor, and chef, and is reopening this month under the direction of Roudy Petersen.
A heritage setting to showcase a generation that is still writing its own history.
85 tables, 85 renowned chefs acting as sponsors, one judge
For this 7th edition of the TheFork Awards with Mastercard85 new addresses have been selected across France. Each one is presented by a renowned chef, chosen for their vision and ability to spot the talents that will shape the gastronomy of tomorrow.
Guy Savoy, Christian Le Squer, Nina Métayer, Yoann Conte, Glenn Viel, Thibaut Spiwack, Pierre Gagnaire, Gilles Goujon, Arnaud Donckele, Arnaud Lallement and Mory Sacko agreed to act as facilitators. They identify, sponsor, and bring to light. But they don't vote because...The final word belongs to the public!
Until October 19th, food lovers and gourmets are invited to vote for their favorite tableThe winners will then be revealed at the awards ceremony on November 30th at the Auditorium of the Bordeaux National Opera.
The principle is simple, but far from trivial: a young chef is identified by their peers, then chosen by those who actually dine at their table. This dual recognition gives the customer a place rarely so central in gastronomic rankings.
The stated ambition of TheFork Awards is clear: to support, reveal and celebrate the next generation of French gastronomy.
The bet on confidentiality
To be among the nominees, establishments must meet several criteria: have opened or taken over their restaurant for less than two years, not benefit from any distinction and be sponsored by a recognized chef. The notion of client confidentiality is essential here.
Choosing restaurants that haven't yet received any recognition means taking a risk before guides, reviews, or rankings confirm their potential. That's precisely what makes the selection so interesting.
TheFork Awards do not seek to celebrate already established establishments. They focus on the more fragile period preceding recognition: when a chef opens a restaurant, finds their rhythm, builds their clientele and gradually imposes their signature style.
Where some awards reward established excellence, TheFork Awards focus on the beginning.
A new map of French gastronomy
In seven editions, nearly 300 heads agreed to act as scouts, by sponsoring more than 430 tablesAmong them, 36 were distinguished, while more than seven out of ten of the named addresses have since joined the pages of the Michelin Guide, including 35 with a star.
An interesting indicator: the perspective of sponsors sometimes precedes that of gastronomic institutions.
The 2026 selection thus outlines a culinary France that is no longer limited to Paris.
From Parisian counters to country houses, from Mediterranean tables to plant-based cuisines of the West, via addresses inspired by elsewhere: behind this diversity emerges the same generation of chefs, committed to seasonal products and a personal, free and borderless cuisine. The capital is no longer necessarily the starting point.
What unites these 85 addresses is less a style than a shared desire: to work on the product, to assert a gesture, to create an identity and above all to make people want to come back.
And that's perhaps where the public vote takes on its full meaning. A full room, a returning customer, a reservation recommended to a friend: even before stars and awards, a restaurant is built with those who walk through its doors.
TheFork changes its approach
This is undoubtedly the other interpretation of this 7th edition.
TheFork, a Tripadvisor company, has historically been associated with a very concrete promise: finding a restaurant and booking a table. With the Awards, the platform adds an editorial and prescriptive dimension to its role.
She no longer simply answers "where to have dinner tonight?" But...She begins to answer another question: "Which restaurant deserves to be discovered?"
By relying on renowned chefs to identify talent, and then on the public to judge, TheFork has built its own unique model. The chef becomes a facilitator, the customer a judge, and the platform a catalyst.
This evolution also accompanies the upgrading of its world. The choice of the Nissim de Camondo Museum to present this new edition, the partnership with Mastercard, and the culinary experiences offered to cardholders all contribute to the same evolution: moving from simple reservations to a more experiential approach to gastronomy.
This trend is interesting for a digital platform that originated around reservations. Because gastronomic luxury no longer resides solely in the exceptional nature of a table. It also lies in the opportunity to be among the first to discover a new address, to get to know a chef before they become a household name, to share an experience that few have yet had.
The public, the new influencers?
Ultimately, this is what distinguishes TheFork Awards from traditional awards lists.
The system does not seek to reproduce the codes of gastronomic guides. It offers another interpretation of excellence: that of discovery, transmission and lived experience.
Top chefs offer their perspectives. Customers give their voices. And in an era where recommendations, communities and experience are playing an increasingly important role in consumer choices, this model also tells us something about our contemporary relationship with gastronomy.
Voting will end on October 19th. On November 30th, at the Auditorium of the Bordeaux National Opera, the most popular tables will be revealed.
Until then, the best way to form an opinion remains: book, sit down, taste.
Because Brillat-Savarin may have already found the formula, two centuries before the Awards: The discovery of a new food does more for the happiness of humankind than the discovery of a star. » Gastronomy remains, after all, the only universal language that is spoken at the table.
Photos: TheFork Awards
