The two-starred chef of Maison d'à Côté, a restaurant located in Montlivault, in the Loir-et-Cher, has been crowned "cook of the year" by the Gault et Millau guide.
At the microphone of Europe 1, he confides his pride in having been distinguished by the prestigious gastronomic guide.
Despite the six-month closure of restaurants in France, the gastronomic guide Gault et Millau nonetheless designated the cook and pastry chef of the year on Thursday, to support a profession very hard hit by the coronavirus crisis.
And it is Christophe Hay, chef at Maison d'à Côté in Montlivault, in Loir-et-Cher, who was crowned "cook of the year", while Aurélien Rivoire, pastry chef at Pavyllon, the restaurant by three-star chef Yannick Alléno, was named "pastry chef of the year".
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At the microphone of Europe 1, Christophe Hay, two-starred chef in the Michelin guide, says he is honored with this award, which he describes as a "breath of fresh air".
Coming back to this complicated year during which "we rolled up our sleeves, we tried to reinvent ourselves, to rethink our cuisine", Christophe Hay is delighted that the guide has maintained his record.
"We realize that the guides are there and support us," he said.
"We dream of having our name in these cooks of the year"
"It's huge," he still reacts.
"As much as we are, we dream of one day having our name in these cooks of the year. And my name will be on this list which will be anchored, it's superb."
The gastronomic guide Gault et Millau had decided to maintain his list despite the health crisis "in solidarity with the entire profession which suffers greatly, but which is still standing and which is fighting", Zakari Benkhadra told AFP, the new director general of the guide France.
His predecessor Jacques Bally was formally opposed.