This year’s prestigious Gault & Millau guide has hit the shelves. Thomas Troupin, chef at "La Menuiserie" in Waimes, near Verviers, was chosen as Young Chef of the Year for Wallonia with a mark of 16/20, alongside Mélanie Englebin of "Cécila" for Brussels and Maarten Bouckaert of "Castor" (Beveren-Leie) for Flanders. As for Tim Boury, chef at the "Boury" in Roeselare (West Flanders), he was named Chef of the Year for 2017.

At the centre of the village of Champagne, la Menuiserie, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a modern decor, offers contemporary cuisine prepared with precision and passion. Thomas Troupin has worked as part of the kitchen staff for renowned restaurants such as l’Air du Temps, a two-star establishment. Since coming to the high plateaus of Belgium, Thomas has devoted his time to wild plants and their uses in the kitchen. His modern cuisine blends regional products and exacting technique. He combines ingredients with a great deal of originality, playing with local products and bedazzling restaurant-goers with new takes on traditional dishes.

The 2017 Gault & Millau guide contains over 1,200 restaurants. Still in the region of Verviers, it also features the Zur Post in Saint-Vith and Le Manoir de Lébioles in Spa.

Lastly it bears mentioning that this year’s choice for "Price/Enjoyment" in Wallonia is the restaurant Gastronomie du Mayeur in Wanze, and the New Discovery of the Year for the region is Quadras in Saint-Vith, which also just received a star in the Michelin Guide.