Olivier Nasti named best chef in France

French gastro guide Gault et Millau has named Olivier Nasti, two-Michelin-starred chef of Le Chambard restaurant in Alsace, chef of the year. 

His signature dish is L’oeuf à 64°C, in which the egg yolk is cooked at 64°C and then hidden beneath the white of another like a raviole. A keen hunter, Nasti is also renowned for his inventive game dishes such as venison tartare with caviar, and rack of venison with cranberries 

A native of Belfort (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), he cut his teeth at the Michelin-starred Château Servin with chef Dominique Mathy and went on to become a student of Olivier Roellinger. In 2007 he was named a Meilleur Ouvrier de France. 

For €305, you can enjoy the hunter’s menu at Le Chambard, which includes gamey treats such as candied deer tongue, Osciètre caviar, Scottish grouse with whisky and a hot game pâté with summer fruits. There’s also an an Expressions menu for €230, featuring dishes such as lightly smoked eel glazed with citrus fruits, or you can choose to dine à la carte. 

The sweet-toothed amongst us will want to add Courchevel (Savoie) to our itinerary during our next trip to France for this is where, according to Gault et Millau, the Hexagon’s best pastry chef can be found. 

Two-starred Sébastien Vauxion bases entire meals around dessert at his restaurant, Sarkara, one of the few restaurants in the world where it’s pudding all the way, with a focus on fruit and vegetables such as beetroot, artichoke, tomato, citrus fruits and herbs. Now that’s a great way to eat up your greens! 

Lead photo credit : Two-Michelin-starred chef Olivier Nasti