Les Grandes Tables du Monde Held Its Annual Three-Day Congress in Athens

Les Grandes Tables du Monde is an iconic platform promoting gastronomic excellence on a global scale. Founded in 1954 during a friendly discussion by six renowned restaurateurs — Jean Barnagaud (Prunier), André Vrinat (Taillevent), Claude Terrail (La Tour d’Argent), Raymond Oliver (Le Grand Véfour), René Lasserre (Lasserre) and Louis Vaudable (Maxim’s) — the association set out to uphold the values of haute cuisine and the art of hospitality.

A landmark moment in its history came in 1959, when the celebrated artist Jean Cocteau sketched an emblematic blue-white-red rooster on a tablecloth at Le Grand Véfour — a drawing that would become the association’s official logo.

From 12 to 15 October 2025, Les Grandes Tables du Monde held its annual congress in Athens, hosted at the Four Seasons Astir Palace. The event culminated in a truly high-calibre gala dinner at Island, where chefs Arnaud Bignon (Spondi, Athens), Marcel Ravin (Blue Bay, Monaco), Hans Neuner (Ocean, Portugal) and Paulo Airaudo (Amelia, San Sebastián) prepared a shared menu of exceptional breadth and ambition.

In the closing moments of the evening, the association’s annual awards were presented: Stephan Gass of Traube Tonbach was named Sommelier of the Year, Sean Kemper of Saison (San Francisco) received the Restaurant Mixologist Award, Benoît Godillon of three-star Coutanceau was honoured as Pastry Chef of the Year, and restaurateurs Tim Boury and Inge Waeles of Boury (Belgium) were named Restaurateurs of the Year 2025.

This year also saw 18 new members join Les Grandes Tables du Monde: Aramburu (Gonzalo Aramburu, Argentina), La Paix (David Martin, Belgium), La Table de Maxime (Maxime Collard, Belgium), Maison Colette (Thijs Vervloet, Belgium), Le Mas Les Eydins (Christophe Bacquié, France), Tohru in der Schreiberei (Tohru Nakamura, Germany), Restaurant George (Domenico Candela, Italy), Quintonil (Jorge Vallejo, Mexico), Re-naa (Sven-Erik Renaa, Norway), Hiša Franko (Ana Roš, Slovenia), Milka (David Žefran, Slovenia), Widder (Stefan Heilemann, Switzerland), Stucki (Tanja Grandits, Switzerland), Chef’s Table (Olivier Le Guy, Thailand) and, from the United States, Melisse (Josiah Citrin), Jônt (Ryan Ratino), Addison (William Bradley) and Cesar (César Ramirez).

“Each year we are moved by the passion and pursuit of perfection our members display,” said David Sinapian, President of Les Grandes Tables du Monde. “Welcoming these 18 new restaurants reaffirms that true hospitality transcends borders.” I had the pleasure of hosting a fascinating discussion with Hélène Pietrini, Managing Director of La Liste; Amélie Vincent, Founder of The Foodalist; and chef-owner Andrea Aprea, on the topic ‘How to Navigate Between Creativity and the Guides’ and Guests’ Expectations’, showing for over an hour around the table how one can remain true to their artistic identity while satisfying visitors’ expectations.

The second day of the congress culminated in a Greek feast that will go down in history—not for its meticulous staging, but for its sheer authenticity. At Taverna 37, within the Four Seasons Astir Palace, guests gathered around a traditional table laden with greek  salad, dolmadakia, a spread of meze, and whole lamb roasted antikristo-style on makeshift grills set up on site. The setting was idyllic, almost innocent, until the celebration began—and from that point on, everything “spiralled” in the best possible way.

Just moments earlier, we had found ourselves sharing a table with the daughters of Bernard Loiseau and Paul Bocuse—an almost surreal experience for anyone who understands what those names represent in the world of gastronomy. And then, within minutes, we were watching them all—chefs with Michelin stars and legends to their name—take to the dance floor, swept up in a whirl of bouzouki, tambourines and Greek song. Because a zeibekiko can speak to the whole world when it was written by Stavros Xarchakos.

There, in the heart of Athens, the Les Grandes Tables du Monde community came together in a way that was direct, deeply human, and truly unifying—reminding everyone that gastronomy is, above all, culture: a universal language that can bring people, traditions and generations together over a shared table. In this case, a proudly Greek one.

Photos by Ilya Kagan