Haute cuisine

Restaurants, the hats of the Gault&Millau guide also arrive in Italy

The 'Gialla' has 50 years of history and is already present in 20 countries: it will be supported by the Region of Piedmont, and includes global and local partners, as well as proceeds from events and advertising campaigns

by Maria Teresa Manuelli

26 January 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The Yellow Guide lands in Italy. In January 2027 the first edition of Gault&Millau Italia will be published, which after fifty years of history and presence in more than twenty countries arrives in the territory of the Unesco World Heritage cuisine. The first regions to be covered will be Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige (since 2021 there has been a Südtirol guide including Alto-Adige). A hundred or so inspectors are already at work mapping hidden great cuisines, new trends and traditions, but it will take four years to cover the entire boot.

Headquarters in Piedmont

Gault&Millau Italia will be based in Piedmont. "The arrival of this guide is extraordinary - declares President of the Region Alberto Cirio -. After the The World's 50 Best Award in Turin last year, we reap the rewards with the choice of Gault&Millau to make its debut in our land".

Leading the project are Czech Miroslav Lekeš, ceo and a past in the pharmaceutical sector before falling in love with Piedmont and its vineyards, and Daniele Scaglia, a Piedmontese Doc, general manager and chief inspector, with experience in the guides of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. 'Italy represents an extraordinary challenge,' says Lekeš. 'It is a country with an unparalleled gastronomic wealth.

And the numbers confirm this: according to FIPE 2025 data, the Italian catering industry has 328 thousand active enterprises, 1.5 million employees and an added value of over 59 billion euro. It is not only cultural excellence, but a key sector for the economy. After Italy, the guide's next targets are China and the United States.

How 'hats' work

The inspectors, journalists and enthusiasts, will be trained at the new Gault&Millau Academy Training Centre at the Réva Resort in Monforte d'Alba. It will be the second academy in the world after Paris. Between 25 and 30 inspectors per region will operate. Absolute anonymity: those who violate it will be excluded. Each inspector will receive restaurant cards to fill out with proof of purchase. The evaluations will cover dishes, ingredients, staff, ambience, price and beverage. The final score will determine the awarding of Toques (chef's hats), from one to five.

The score ranges from 10 to 20 points and determines the awarding of Toques. One Toque (11-12.5): solid gourmet cuisine. Two Toques (13-14.5): recognisable imprint. Three Toques (15-16.5): excellence and creative personality. Four Toques (17-18,5): exciting experience. Five Toques (19-19.5): unique experience, very difficult to achieve. Between 10 and 10.5 points you are placed in the guide without Toques. The POP category (bistros, street food) is reviewed without scores.

Special awards and bilingual publication

Each edition will include awards to celebrate gastronomic personalities: Chef of The Year, Chef of Tomorrow, Young Talent, Chef de Patisserie, Best Sommelier and Pop of the Year. The guide will be in paper Limited Edition and online, with free reviews in Italian and English.

"We believe that the international scope of Gault&Millau is something new on the Italian scene. We want to find and reward deserving restaurants. We aim to break even within two years," explains Scaglia, who with Lekeš bought the licence from the parent company. The project will be supported by the Piedmont Region, and envisages global and local partners, as well as proceeds from events and advertising campaigns. Obviously, the judged restaurants cannot pay to be included in the guide in order to keep the inspectors' judgement impartial.

In addition to the guide, there will be gastronomic events, international chef exchange programmes, support for young students and global promotion of Italian restaurants. Future projects include a Stay & Dine guide for hotels with restaurants and a European wine guide.

A 50-year history

The official announcement came in Prague, during the ceremony to proclaim the best chef in the Czech Republic, Oldřich Sahajdák of the restaurant La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, and the best hotel, the Fairmont Golden Prague.

Gault&Millau was born in the early 1960s when Henri Gault, a journalist from Paris-Presse, wrote a column on gastronomic escapades. Christian Millau edited those daring recommendations. In 1972 the first French edition of the Yellow Guide came out. Fifty years later it met the Italian gastronomic scene. The first Italian Toques in a year.