Gault&Millau Belgium once again announces the “Chocolatiers of the Year 2024” awards and publishes the eighth edition of the guide to chocolatiers
For the eighth time, Gault&Millau Belgium presents its selection of the best chocolatiers in its annual chocolate guide. The famous guide awarded the title of “Chocolatier of the Year” for Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia, and the prize for “Discovery of the Year” to a new discovery.
As every year, the Belgian Gault&Millau Chocolatier guide offers a non-exhaustive and exclusive selection of the best chocolatiers based on various blind tastings. The number of chocolate-makers continues to grow, both in terms of quantity and quality. This is a positive and promising sign, and good news for the sector, consumers and the editors of the guide. More and more chocolate-makers are showing a growing predilection for original chocolate, whose many characteristics are determined by the terroir in which the cocoa beans grow and ferment. It is precisely these very different properties, linked to the terroir, that make chocolate a wonderful, varied and distinctive product with which the chocolatier can give his all to delight his customers.
Once again this year, the Gault&Millau investigators have discovered a number of new addresses. The winner of the “Discovery of the Year” award was chosen from these entries. In addition, three chocolatiers were crowned “Chocolatier of the Year”.
Chocolatier of the Year 2024 for Flanders: Chocoladehuis Boon, Hasselt
The technical skills and creativity of chocolatier Patrick Mertens and his wife Inge Lijnen have been much in the news since they founded Chocoladehuis Boon together in 2005. The wide and varied assortment means that classic chocolate lovers will find what they’re looking for, but those who enjoy originality and discovering new combinations of flavours will not be left out. Boon has a solid reputation for designing bespoke chocolate both at home and abroad. These highly distinctive creations frequently grace the windows of the most renowned luxury shops and boutiques. In the same spirit of creating something unique and accessible to everyone, the duo have come up with an original box in the shape of a pastry box containing four flavours of fruit-filled chocolate bites. Further proof that Patrick Mertens dares to think outside the box by transforming a delicious Limburg speciality into a guilty pleasure. We can’t help but be amazed to see our culinary heritage enriched by such creativity.
Brussels Chocolatier of the Year 2024: Yasushi Sasaki, Brussels
Yasushi Sasaki is one of the capital’s finest references when it comes to gourmet treats. No one can remain indifferent to the refinement of his chocolates, given the very Japanese precision he brings to the creation of all the sweets that line the counter of his shop. Yasushi Sasaki is one of those chocolate-makers who are obsessed by the importance of flavour. He uses a variety of original chocolates to make his coatings and ganaches, all of which are extremely elegant. This true magician of flavours – who will soon be launching bean-to-bar production – convinced our jury, who named him Chocolatier of the Year for Brussels.
Chocolatier of the Year 2024 for Wallonia: Legast, Braine-le-Comte
Together with his wife Patricia Forero, Thibaut Legast has been producing bean-to-bar chocolate for several years. For the company’s twentieth anniversary, the chocolatier has moved all its production to an even more efficient facility, as well as a wonderful second sales point to showcase its products. Using beans rigorously selected in South America by his wife, he creates exceptional tablets and pralines that have won numerous international awards. The intensity and authenticity of these chocolates also struck a chord with our jury, who named him Wallonia’s Chocolatier of the Year 2024.
Belgium’s discovery of the year 2024: Belle et Chocolat, Loyers
Louise Gérard has had a real passion for chocolate ever since she was a little girl. After studying industrial design, she joined Benoît Nihant as a trainee, where she discovered the bean-to-bar business and the many ethical and sustainability issues involved. The pandemic and the economic recovery that followed enabled her to structure her project, and since October 2022 she has been selling – via her website and a number of partners – stunning discovery bars and pralines produced at the Ateliers de Bossimé. In the coming weeks, Belle et Chocolat will be opening a store in the city centre of Namur.
About the Gault&Millau Chocolatier 2024 guide:
This year, a total of 128 chocolatiers from Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg have been selected. These chocolate makers represent more than 183 shop addresses. As always, the selection was based on several anonymous and objective tastings. The Gault&Millau team proceeded in the same way as for the restaurant guide: completely independently, without any commercial or other interests. The tastings were based on the visual and taste characteristics of each item sampled. The Guide des Chocolatiers 2024 has 92 pages and costs 14.95 euros from shop.gaultmillau.be (free postage). The full selection is online at gaultmillau.be and chocolatierpatissier.be.
