Naïs Pirollet wins the Bocuse d’Or France and becomes the first ever woman to represent France

Naïs Pirollet, an Institut Paul Bocuse graduate, was the winner of the Bocuse d’Or French selections in Reims on Tuesday 23 November, with the help of her line Chef, third-year student Cole Millard. The youngest participant in the competition, she becomes the first woman ever to represent France in this competition.

An inspiring victory for future generations!

After graduating in Culinary Arts from Institut Paul Bocuse in 2017, Naïs Pirollet began her career with the Michelin-starred chef David Toutain in Paris as sous-chef. At the beginning of 2020, she joined the team at Saisons, the 1* Michelin training restaurant at Institut Paul Bocuse – the only Michelin-starred restaurant in France that has students on its team. She then joined the French Bocuse d’Or team to accompany Chef Davy Tissot during the world selections and participated in the creation of a specially adapted organisation that enabled the Chef to win the Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyon on 27 September at the SIRHA and to bring the trophy back to France.

Naïs Pirollet follows in the footsteps of her instructor by winning the French selection against 5 other shortlisted competitors. This achievement is a tribute to the values of audacity, creativity and solidarity of a new generation of chefs determined to be part of the revival of the gastronomic scene. It is also a team victory, as her assistant Cole Millard, a Canadian student in his 3rd year at Institut Paul Bocuse, and recipient of a scholarship for excellence from the G&G Pélisson Foundation for Institut Paul Bocuse, also won the prize for Best Line Chef in the competition.

A powerful symbol for the WOMEN chefs of tomorrow

At just 24 years old, Naïs Pirollet, who graduated top of her class, has left her mark on the Bocuse d’Or and has become the first woman to represent France in the history of the culinary competition. Her victory is a significant milestone and an important step towards recognising the talent of women in the world of cuisine and the transformation of our profession. Women now represent 50% of our Bachelor in International Culinary Arts Management students.

A success resulting from the synergy between generations

The duo’s achievement is also a victory for our school, which has been pursuing its vocation of transmitting know-how to future generations for over 30 years. It is a tribute to all the passionate professional chefs and instructors who, on a daily basis, pass on the baton so that French gastronomy and art of living continue to shine on the world stage.

A benchmark for transferring know-how and a campus where excellence is cultivated.

By developing a space dedicated to the training of talent, where chefs from around the world can exchange ideas, pass on knowledge and learn from each other, Institut Paul Bocuse already offers an insight into the contours of the campus announced by the French President during his last visit to the SIRHA Fair. Écully is preparing to become the incubator of future talent for the promotion of French gastronomy.