Meilleur Ouvrier de France and juror of "Top Chef", the Bordeaux resident Philippe Etchebest believes that the resumption of the show, this Wednesday evening on M 6, has a flavor of "hope" while restaurateurs are still closed.
Does this new season, which begins in a difficult context for restaurant owners, have a particular flavor?
PHILIPPE ETCHEBEST.
A flavor of hope.
The restaurants are closed but the gastronomy is still there, creative and strong.
Through
Top Chef
and his young talents, it is a beautiful message to the French who, I am sure, are eager to return to the restaurant.
See the end of the tunnel?
Not so much, because there is no prospect, it is the most difficult.
Like the French, we would like to be able to project ourselves and tell ourselves that life will resume its normal course ... We have all been closed for six months.
We are not meant to live only on aid, we all want to take over.
I know that the French are also very impatient to find this social link which has disappeared, which affects their morale.
What is happening in kitchens right now?
For many, we have taken out take-out to survive and absorb part of the fixed costs.
We don't do everything, but it helps to keep you mentally.
Inactivity is dangerous and has consequences.
It was also important to reconnect with my collaborators.
Cooking is teamwork like rugby is a team sport.
A team that does not train is less efficient, in the same way, a brigade needs to work to maintain its automatisms.
In two and a half months off, we had lost a lot, it took time to get back into it.
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We get in tune with current events.
It is essential to know how to offer quality cuisine in another form.
You have to look after the visual in a container other than a plate and find the right formula to properly reheat the dishes.
I opted for a cold chain because by the time the dish arrives at home it has to be reheated anyway.
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There are 16 former “Top Chef” starred stars, the jury has 11 macaroons and there have never been so many triple starred guests… It's no longer a show, it's a constellation!
We are in the upper echelons, there!
Today, all the chefs are really keen to come and agree that it is a special moment.
But beyond that, it is the quality of the candidates, this pool of young chefs and the number of stars.
This proves that it is a competition of a very high level.
Have shows like "Top Chef" changed the French people's perception of cooking?
Certainly !
It showed people behind the scenes, the difficulty and the work necessary to reach this high level, that cooking is also a craft and an artist's job, which can provide people with enormous pleasure.
PODCAST. Who really is Philippe Etchebest, the recipe chef?
Has the training sector also changed its image?
Yes.
Today, being a cook is no longer a sideline.
All these programs generated interest among young audiences for the restaurant industry.
It really created vocations.
Cooking is everyone's business too… Do we ask you for advice when we meet you?
I always refer them to the
Master
program
that I created online, accessible to the greatest number, even the worst
(laughs
).
Through my advice, I try to teach people to take pleasure in cooking simply, at low cost, to choose the right products at the right season, to also show that around us there are artisans who 'we must support.
Even more today given the economic situation.
