In eleven seasons of "Top Chef", 7 candidates had one day already been awarded Michelin stars before participating in the culinary show of M 6. For the first time, Wednesday evening, a member of the brotherhood of the little red guide won the competition , in the person of David Gallienne, soul of the Jardin des Plumes in Giverny. And like every year, the verdict divided viewers and fans. At the heart of the debate: the famous badge which would have favored him over the other finalist, Adrien Cachot.
For many, the show should reveal the talents of French cuisine, not confirm them. For four months, the ex-small chain that goes up has hammered that this season was one of daring. However, it was ultimately the most experienced and least adventurous candidate who won. On social networks, we have of course highlighted this paradox but also a feeling of inequality between the two candidates. If the 100 guests of the George V chose David, it was Adrien who won the battle of the public in front of the screens and on the Internet.
In front of the Top Chef Replay.
Obviously the darling of the winning chef. What audacity for this 2020 season !!! When you already have a star, the result is already biased in advance, the habit of working in brigades and in command.
Casting error at the start. # TOPCHEF2020
In the end for this daring season of #TopChef, the only time David had it was when he reversed the salt and sugar, and it was not even voluntary ... # TOPCHEF2020 pic.twitter. com / 1llBOYfXdr
- lebousoscope (@le_pinpin) June 17, 2020First of these evening critics, Victor Mercier, former season 9 finalist and chef at the Parisian restaurant Fief (Made here in France), does not hide his preference for Adrien Cachot. "The real problem," he confides to the Parisian, "is a question of means: David was able to prepare his final with the brigade of his starred establishment, while Adrien prepared his own in his 25 m2 restaurant "
"They should be put in the same conditions by the production," he laments. The framing of the final should be more thorough, there should be no preparations beforehand, of prepared materials ”.
“Afterwards, admits Victor Mercier, I am not opposed to the presence of starred chefs in the program. The show's argument for discovering talent is valid, but a star is not the end of a career either ”.
"What we don't always say is that it's very courageous"
At M 6, we defend this choice. "Our program is a competition of professionals and, during the casting, we have only one star chef among the candidates," we explain within the chain. And according to the producers, this is not necessarily an advantage.
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"We don't always say it, but it's very courageous to face people who are not starred, so don't be afraid to question yourself", underlines a representative of M 6. "And above all, insists the production, we have no interest in making so-and-so winners while the show has become a benchmark in this environment. ”
Joined on the phone by Le Parisien, winner David Gallienne abounds. “The star, we don't talk about it anymore when we start the competition, the counters are reset. I could very well have left before, and throughout the competition ”.
On the way to Paris and a M6 day, the chef at the Jardin des Plumes confides: “As a star, the show changed a lot of things about my vision of my cuisine. It allowed me to go further in the search for tastes ”. And Hélène Darroze's candidate underlines: “Being judged by your peers is a real plus. It's still a TV show, you don't see everything that is really going on set with the chefs and me, it made me grow. It is also a way to discover the path to the second star. ”
"The star is not the benchmark"
"He does not owe his victory to his star, but to his talent, his composure and his resistance to stress", analyzes the culinary critic François-Régis Gaudry, who however had eliminated him during "the battle of the restaurants" , finding it “too pretentious” on this show's flagship event.
“The star is not the benchmark. The opinion of the Michelin guide does not condition all the opinions of the jurors ”, specifies that which animates“ We will taste ”on France Inter. “The vocation of“ Top Chef ”is to reveal a talent to make him climb the ladder. And David still has a lot of things to learn, ”he says.
“This program manages to be balanced and fair. He succeeds in seducing the general public, while being reliable and recognized by the profession. In reality, it has become another scale, different from that of the Michelin stars, ”concludes François-Régis Gaudry. So when are the Top Chef stars?
