At the Château de Saulon, in Côte-d’Or, a young 34-year-old Burgundian chef has seen his name resonate among the great regional chefs. Heir to an emblematic family house on the banks of the Yonne, he takes the stage to receive the highest award from the famous yellow guide; in the room, many know that a milestone is being reached.
In Joigny, La Côte Saint-Jacques, two-Michelin-starred and a Relais & Châteaux member, has embodied the history of the Lorain family since 1945, of Marie then Michel and Jean-Michel Lorain. Since 2023, Alexandre Bondoux, fourth generation, has managed the renovated kitchens of this house which also has a 5-star hotel, a spa and a riverside garden.
A Gault&Millau d’Or 2027 for a 34-year-old chef
On June 29, 2026, Alexandre Bondoux was crowned Gault&Millau d’Or Bourgogne-Franche-Comté 2027, the guide’s highest regional distinction. “This award is obviously a great emotion and pride”, he confides, before adding: “It is recognition of the daily work and the rigor that we can impose on ourselves. I have brought a breath of fresh air to this beautiful house. After a history of generations, we must always renew ourselves and bring a touch of modernity”, he explains to France 3 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
Already very well rated, the table this time receives an award which bears directly the name of its chef. “The rating awarded to the Côte Saint-Jacques by Gault&Millau was a bit of a continuation of my uncle’s work. This award is my first on a personal level so I warmly thank Gault&Millau. It makes me extremely happy because we do a hard job, and it rewards all the work behind it. Not only mine, but also that of my entire team”, relishes Alexandre Bondoux in Nouvelles Gastronomiques. The guide salutes “his talent and his vision of Burgundian gastronomy”, summarizes Gault&Millau, cited by Info.fr.
An assumed family heritage, between pride and pressure
The Jovinian chef bears a surname steeped in history. “There are two sides to this lineage. The positive side, that I was given a foothold in a recognized work tool. And the counterpart of that, that people are always waiting for me around the corner because I am the grandson of, and nephew of… They all look at me out of the corner of their eye,” he recalls. It must therefore preserve the soul of an institution while asserting its own culinary style.
He describes this responsibility bluntly: “I took over a historic house behind Jean-Michel Lorain, obviously, it’s a pressure. When I was young, I saw great chefs receiving these awards and it made me dream. Today, it’s me. It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s a pressure that makes you move forward.” For Marc Esquerré, director of investigations for the guide, the inspectors felt that “something was happening” at La Côte Saint-Jacques, “A distinction that he validates every day on the ground thanks to his energy, his breath and his talent”, he underlines in France 3 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
The Côte Saint-Jacques, between signature dishes and a breath of fresh air
In Joigny, Alexandre Bondoux’s cuisine remains deeply rooted in the tradition of the house: Bresse chicken on the menu for almost 50 years, great classics from the Lorain family and products from Burgundy-Franche-Comté. And then the chef adds his sensitivity, guided by the seasons, the return of the market and his travels, to offer a precise and contemporary experience.
The guide’s inspectors spotted “this breath of fresh air evoked by the chef, which translates directly in the dining room into palpable enthusiasm and regeneration”. During the same ceremony at Château de Saulon, Rudy Villien (Le Charlemagne, Beaune) received the “Grand de Demain” trophy and pastry chef Lucile Vigilant (Relais Bernard Loiseau, Saulieu) received that of “Pastry chef of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region 2027”. An evening which confirmed the major role of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, and where, for Gault&Millau, Alexandre Bondoux definitively left the role of heir to become a chef in his own right.
Who is Alexandre Bondoux, chef of La Côte Saint-Jacques?
Alexandre Bondoux is 34 years old, has managed the two-starred kitchens of La Côte Saint-Jacques in Joigny since 2023 and embodies the fourth generation of the Lorain family.
What does the title of Gault&Millau d’Or Bourgogne-Franche-Comté 2027 mean?
This title is the highest regional award in the Gault&Millau guide, distinguishing the personal work of a chef and the dynamics of his house.
Where is the La Côte Saint-Jacques restaurant?
La Côte Saint-Jacques is located in Joigny, in Yonne, in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, on the banks of the Yonne, with a 5-star hotel, a spa and a garden.
