They are already Meilleurs Sommelier de France, they will also be Meilleurs Ouvriers de France!

As expected, COET-MOF and the Ministry of National Education waited until November 17 to announce the results of the sommelier class in the one of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) competition.
If the number of three new future holders of the diploma was acquired, the names themselves were only known to a limited number.
And so it is Gaëtan Bouvier, Florent Martin and Xavier Thuizat who join the 22 winners of the event created in 2000 and the 2 MOF Honoris Causa named in 2015 and 2018. On a CV which includes for all the title of Best Sommelier of France, they will be able to add an equally prestigious line.

Three personalities and three different paths to achieve this double.

Thus Gaëtan Bouvier, head sommelier of the Restaurant Saisons at the Paul Bocuse Institute in Ecully, crowned Best Sommelier of France in Toulouse six years ago, had already tried twice to conquer the tricolor pass. But during the 2014 and 2018 selections he failed to reach the final.

A level that Florent Martin, head sommelier of The Peninsula Paris and Best Sommelier of France 2020, had reached twice. But in the Lyonnais then in Provence he remained on the quay... A frustration erased this year on the Côte d'Opale.

Finally there is Xavier Thuizat. Head sommelier at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, he had not taken part in either of these two events until this year. Whatever, in the space of three weeks he first distinguished himself during the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (October 17 and 18) then lost none of his motivation and won the Best Sommelier of France (November 6).

If the results are validated, all three will only be able to claim the title of MOF after the next graduation and will have to wait until spring to receive tricolor ribbon and medal during the traditional ceremony at La Sorbonne.

Text and photo Jérémy Martin