Tonight, there will be only one winner of "Top Chef" on M6. However, all the candidates of season 14 have already won everything. Whether seasoned or amateur, all have gained incredible visibility thanks to the show. It is impossible today for young chefs not to see the M6 program as a springboard. "We are aware of the spotlight that it brings us, but it is nothing without the work we have done years before," said Danny Khezzar, finalist tonight against Hugo Riboulet.
Legitimacy in the world of gastronomy
In fourteen years of existence, the show has acquired legitimacy in the world of gastronomy by becoming a recognized culinary competition, which proves its value every year by revealing the talents of tomorrow. It's a bit like the "The Voice" of the kitchen. There are countless former candidates who have, since their participation, won a star, like Mory Sacko in 2021 or Mallory Gabsi this year. The beginnings weren't always easy, though. "We had a hard time bringing in chefs in the first seasons," says Romuald Graveleau, the producer. Ghislaine Arabian, Thierry Marx, Christian Constant, Jean-François Piège and Cyril Lignac, the jurors, were almost considered extraterrestrials in the world of gastronomy. So what were starred chefs going to do on a TV show?
Behind the scenes of creation
A few years earlier, Cyril Lignac had borne the brunt of this mistrust. A pioneer, he participated in 2005 in "Oui chef!", a program in which he formed a brigade before the opening of his restaurant. His participation had not been viewed very favourably in the profession. "Now, it's normal to go and do 'Top Chef', whereas at the time we used to say: learn your job and drop the TV," he explains. The Aveyronnais has conquered the hearts of the 5 million frequent viewers of the show and aroused in them a new interest in the profession of cook. "We were opening the backstage of a kitchen for the first time. I saw a real appetite of the public and a craze around our profession, "he continues.
Big names in cuisine
In 2010, the launch of "Top Chef" revolutionized the genre. The program films the cooks at work, deciphers their mode of creation, highlights their questioning and gives them a voice. The biggest names in cuisine participate as guests, from Paul Bocuse to Alain Ducasse and Pierre Gagnaire. This unprecedented lighting makes it possible to gradually restore the image of a profession often considered as a siding. "It gave another image of our profession," admits Philippe Etchebest, juror in the competition. "I think we helped to highlight a profession, with its values and its difficulties, that was not necessarily known to the general public," continues Romuald Graveleau. Every year, the cooks who participate in "Top Chef" become media personalities dubbed by the profession making the youngest viewers dream...
To the point of seeing a jump in enrolments in culinary training centers. In 2020, the Ferrandi school would have recorded a 30% increase in its applications over the past four years. And, in a funny wink, it is now the fans of the first hour who participate in the show: "In recent years, we have had candidates who tell us that they discovered the profession of cook thanks to "Top Chef", continues the producer. It is our small stone to the gastronomic edifice and our pride.
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