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Carla Ferrari eliminated from "Top Chef": "I was breastfeeding my son during filming"

2023-05-17T22:37:49.556Z

Highlights: Carla Ferrari left the "Top Chef" competition at the end of a very nice journey. The young cook of 26 years, living in Naples and mother of a little boy, was not chosen by Adrien Cachot during the test on the cause to defend. She decided to highlight breastfeeding because she herself wanted to continue feeding her child throughout her participation in the M6 competition. In a toss with Mathieu, it was finally Glenn Viel who decided between them by tasting the bites they had made during the event.


INTERVIEW - The young mother who lives in Naples has left the M6 culinary competition.


Carla Ferrari left the "Top Chef" competition at the end of a very nice journey. The young cook of 26 years, living in Naples and mother of a little boy, was not chosen by Adrien Cachot during the test on the cause to defend. She had decided to highlight breastfeeding because she herself wanted to continue feeding her child throughout her participation in the M6 competition. In a toss with Mathieu, it was finally Glenn Viel who decided between them by tasting the bites they had made during the event. A lack of balance in his preparation got the better of his presence on the show. While she participated in the launch of the restaurant Cantina Francesa, which had not been able to open during the restaurant war, with her friends Jean and Mathieu, she confides in her experience in the contest.

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TVMAGAZINE. - How did you react after your elimination?
Carla FERRARI. - With philosophy because I knew it could happen. When I started the contest, I didn't think I would go this far. I was very emotional because the pressure suddenly drops. "Top Chef" is a bubble in which we live for a few months and, when it stops, it looks funny. But I lived it in a fairly positive way by drawing only good from it.

What made you want to do this contest?
I think the opportunity to participate in "Top Chef" comes only once in a lifetime. It was a bit of a special moment in my professional and personal life because I had just sold my restaurant, moved and become a mother. It seemed like bad timing and, finally, it was the right time to challenge myself and renew myself. The production had contacted me last year and there was no follow-up. When I was called back again, I didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Read also"Top Chef": what is Cantina Francesa, the restaurant of Jean, Carla and Mathieu?

What does the show mean to you?
I've been a big fan of "Top Chef" since I was a little girl so I see it as an institution, a guarantee of quality and professionalism. It allowed me to meet chefs and fellow cooks so it was also a great school of life.

You all seem very close...
It's true! I did not necessarily expect to find a group of friends, especially given my situation as a young mother because I had little time to party and participate in the side of the contest. Despite this, I have forged a lot of bonds with everyone. We were close and stuck together during the shoot.

Besides Cantina Francesa, do you have any projects together?
I'm going to have a four-handed dinner with Sarika in a few weeks in the restaurant Les résidents in the 17th where she currently has a residence, a place where I also worked before.

"It changes that there is still this parity at this stage of the competition. When I left, my wish was to see Sarika go further. »

Carla Ferrari

During the episode aired this Wednesday, May 17, you were two women and two men, it had been a long time since it had happened...
We were very happy and we thought it would change that there is still this parity at this stage of the competition. When I left, my wish was to see Sarika go as far as possible.

How did you manage the contest with your little boy who was five months old at the time of filming?
He was at his nanny's house during the day and then my mother or brother would take turns taking care of him and bring him to the hotel to me to feed him and spend time with him. For me, it was a sine qua non condition to participate. And it went well.

" READ ALSO "Top Chef": a diabolical black box

During your last test imagined by Adrien Cachot, you wanted to defend breastfeeding. Did you breastfeed your son during the contest?
Yes, I was breastfeeding my son. It was a message that was particularly important for me to pass on because it was part of my daily life during filming. It was an extra logistics because I was pumping my milk between events.

Do you want to defend the fact that women can take on everything?
I think you have to choose what you want to do but you can balance your personal and professional life. It is both important to push yourself to your limits but also to set limits. Personally, I didn't want to run the pizzeria and a child at the same time because I spent six days a week almost day and night. On the other hand, participating in "Top Chef" was something I wanted to do even though I knew it was going to be difficult in the short term. I did it consciously and I am happy about it. I try to make the right decisions to be fulfilled as a mom and as a cook.

« We have characters at the antipodes but the opposites attract. »

Carla Ferrari on Philippe Etchebest

What is your relationship with Philippe Etchebest, your brigade leader?
We have characters at opposite ends of the spectrum, but opposites attract. He expected a lot from me and the bond was created with confidence over the weeks and what I was able to show him. It moved me a lot during my elimination to see that he was disappointed and that he believed in it too. We are still in touch and, by the way, I will be going to eat at his place in a few weeks in Bordeaux.

What did you expect from this adventure and what did you learn?
I was curious to see how "Top Chef" goes from the inside. Otherwise, I didn't necessarily have expectations, especially since everything happened quickly between the moment I knew I was selected and the start of the competition. On the other hand, I found a lot of motivation and inspiration thanks to the brigade leaders, the guests and the candidates. It was very rewarding.

" READ ALSO The notebook of "Top Chef": Paul Pairet and Philippe Etchebest in trouble in the war of the restaurants

Do you have any upcoming projects?
I don't want to open a brick-and-mortar business right now. My goal is to divide myself between Paris and Naples where I live where I am mainly a home chef and where I take care of events. Thanks to "Top Chef", I have some pretty funny projects of pop-ups, residencies or card signatures. I will be at the Cantina Francesa from next week and at the Bistrot Top Chef on May 31st for a meal. Then there will be the four-handed with Sarika and, from September, I will be in the kitchen in Paris very often but I can not yet say where.

We found out on the show that you wrote a cookbook when you were 13. How did your passion for cooking come about?
I usually say that she was born out of spite because, at home, no one cooked. Every Sunday, we went to the market and bought good products but then we did everything by steaming without salt! The kitchen quickly became my favorite space. First I made brownies, cookies and then salty, vegetables, fish, meat. I would not have thought to make it my job and finally when I decided on my orientation, it came back as obvious. I went to Ferrandi School.

What was your background then?
I worked in Laguiole with Michel Bras and then at Astrance with Pascal Barbot. Besides, my worst memory of "Top chef" was the Black Box because I could not cook and, when I left the kitchen, I understood that Chef Barbot was organizing the event. I was beside myself for not being able to cook for him! Because Astrance has really been a great school for me and Pascal Barbot is my mentor. Fortunately, I was able to see it and it boosted me for the rest of the competition. For the rest of my career, I went to Italy to study and do a Master's degree. I wanted to start a business and open a restaurant. I met my husband there and never left. I then decided to launch a pizzeria that was ranked among the best pizzerias in Italy.

Did you recognize yourself on screen?
Not too much but I think it's always a bit weird to see each other. I find myself less spontaneous than I am. This is not the opinion of my relatives so it is me who makes a fixette. I seem stressed in the show when it's not my personality at all on a daily basis. It's true that, during the competition, I put a lot of pressure on myself because of the sacrifices I was making. I told myself that I could not miss the trials and that I had to go as far as possible for it to be worth doing all this.

Have you been able to discover your cuisine thanks to the competition?
In recent years, my cooking and my vision of cooking have evolved because I have returned to my roots. I like authentic things more and more. "Top chef" allowed me to put words on it and prove that my cooking is simple but makes sense.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-05-17

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