The World Game Pie Championship has crowned its big winner in Alsace. Between exquisite puff pastry, full-bodied sauces and surgical precision, discover the chef who created the best Pithiviers of the year 2026.
On Tuesday October 27, 2026, Alsace beat to the rhythm of the stoves during the highly anticipated second edition of the World Game Pie Championship – Le Meilleur Pithiviers 2026. Organized in the heart of the prestigious Le Chambard establishment in Kaysersberg by a trio of exceptional Meilleur Ouvriers de France – Olivier Nasti, Éric Briffard and Fabien Pairon –, this competition is already establishing itself as the unmissable event for high gastronomy. Under the honorary presidency of great chef Michel Roth, the elite of French and international cuisine competed to sublimate one of the most demanding monuments of our culinary heritage: the game Pithiviers.
A podium of high technical standards
At the end of a day of rare intensity punctuated by a high-flying double jury (evaluating both the tasting and the advanced technicality of the work in the kitchen), the supreme title was awarded to Louis Renier.
Second chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Chèvre d’Or in Èze (06), this passionate about rigor and precision captivated the jury. Already hailed by a fine second place at the World Hare Championship at the Royale in 2022, he confirms his immense talent. It has established itself thanks to absolute mastery of extremely fine lamination, precise cooking, a game juice with controlled potency and a subtle balance between tradition and modernity.
He is ahead on the podium Florent Peresse (Les Prés d’Eugénie), who won the title of Vice-World Champion, and Nicolas Delaroque (Nico’s House in San Francisco), which takes third place.
Pithiviers: the ultimate art of game pie
More than just a dish, game Pithiviers is a real playground for chefs in search of excellence. Whether feathered (pheasant, partridge), furry (deer, hare, wild boar) or mixed versions, the exercise requires formidable technical skill. The decoration chiseled in the dough, the welding of the puff pastry and the chimney guaranteeing perfect cooking make each piece an ephemeral work of art.
This second edition confirms the international aura of the event, also saluting the performance of finalists from Japan, Switzerland and the four corners of France. A magnificent celebration of artisanal know-how that we can’t wait to see again for a future edition!
© Ilya Kagan @ilyafoodstories
