On the heights of Nice, between vineyards and pine trees, the Château de Crémat changed its smell on Tuesday May 19, 2026: that of heated wood and pizza dough took over. For this first edition of the Food Contest Nice 2026, a pizza competition designed like a gastronomic show, four teams combining chefs and influencers competed under the eye of Instagram cameras. And very quickly, a team led by star chef Justin Schmitt began to attract attention.
At the end of an hour and a half of competition, Justin Schmitt’s team, surrounded by pizzaiolo Dany Herta, from L’Authentique Pizzeria, and content creators Solène (@foodenice) and Marine (@beautifulpetitesadresses), was unanimously crowned winner by the jury. An inaugural victory which places this brand new pizza competition among the events to follow on the Côte d’Azur.
A highly anticipated Food Contest at the Château de Crémat
Imagined by Nice pizza maker Steeve Bonnet and his partner Sabrina Gamard, the Food Contest was held behind closed doors at the Château de Crémat, on the hills of Bellet, but broadcast entirely live on Instagram via the @foodcontest.off account. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Internet users were able to follow live the challenge proposed to the four teams: design, in 1 hour 30 minutes, a pizza capable of convincing a jury of professionals.
This jury brought together Joël Garault, former starred chef at L’Hermitage in Monaco and knight of the National Order of Merit, content creator Leslie Dasc and Aymeric Isaert, Galbani Professionale culinary advisor. Joël Garault greeted, while congratulating all the participants for, he told Nouvelles Gastronomiques.
Justin Schmitt’s team at the top of the Food Contest
Chef of the gourmet restaurant Château Eza, in Èze, Justin Schmitt brought his culture of haute cuisine and detail to his team. Faced with the clock, his role was to think about the general balance of the pizza, to guide the associations of tastes and to ensure the consistency of the plate, while leaving the dough and cooking to a specialist.
This specialist was Dany Herta, from L’Authentique Pizzeria, responsible for the dough, shaping and controlling the oven. And then, to complete this quartet, Solène (@foodenice) and Marine (@beautifulpetitesadresses) worked on the aesthetics, the readability of the pizza on the screen and the live storytelling, a key point for a competition designed from the start for social networks.
A victory in the Food Contest which already opens the way for the future
Over the duration of the challenge, the team played the card of complementarity: clear distribution of tasks, constant exchanges between technique and creativity, attention paid to cooking, dressing and visual reading of the pizza. The unanimous verdict confirmed that this approach had made the difference, by precisely adhering to the criteria of taste, mastery and creativity set by the jury.
Each member of the winning team left with an Ooni pizza oven, while the second team was offered knives, and all participants received an apron and a bottle of wine from Château de Crémat. A second edition of the Food Contest has already been announced for 2027, with an opening to the public and an even more immersive experience around pizza.
What is the Food Contest Nice 2026?
The Food Contest Nice 2026 is a pizza competition organized at the Château de Crémat, bringing together four teams made up of starred chefs, pizza makers and content creators, with a timed challenge of 1 hour 30 minutes.
Who made up Justin Schmitt’s team?
Justin Schmitt’s team brought together the starred chef of Château Eza, pizza chef Dany Herta from L’Authentique Pizzeria, as well as content creators Solène (@foodenice) and Marine (@beautifulpetitesadresses).
Where could we follow the Food Contest Nice 2026?
The event took place behind closed doors at the Château de Crémat, but it was broadcast live on Instagram via the official account @foodcontest.off, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
