Three weeks before the return of The best chef on screen, on March 1, M6 and konbini They have just unveiled the list of 16 new participants in the 14th season of the famous culinary contest. We discovered four women and twelve men, between the ages of 23 and 40, from all over the world (Quebec, Italy, Spain, New Zealand…).
To aspire to succeed Louise Bourrat, the big winner of season 13, the candidates will have to convince the jury, still made up of Philippe Etchebest, Hélène Darroze, Glenn Viel and Paul Pairet. This season, however, has several new features with shorter episodes, the finale of the last chance test, and new challenges, including a new challenge for Hélène Darroze. Discover the profiles of the 16 candidates who will compete in the kitchen.
Alban Auvray, 23 years old
It was at the age of 14 that Albane made his cooking debut in a brasserie in Auvergne. After a professional baccalaureate, Albane became head receptionist at Eric Fréchon’s Bristol and then joined Guy Savoy’s three-star restaurant Chiberta as a semi-chef. During a trip to Asia, the young woman discovered the benefits of food in the body and decided to return to France to train as a naturopath. From now on, she is developing her own universe: holistic cooking.
Victor Blanchet, 24 years old
Born in Haiti and passionate about athletics, Victor currently works in Paris with Alain Passard in the kitchens of Arpège after spending time at Guillaume Sanchez’s star-studded NE/SW restaurant.
Jean Covilalt, 25 years old
Trained at the Paul Bocuse Institute, Jean was sous-chef in many restaurants in Europe (France, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal) before accepting, at the age of 24, his first position as chef de cuisine in a 4-star hotel in Paris. The one who learned to cook with his grandmother prefers dishes rooted in the French terroir, “without fuss and with a lot of energy!”
Bérangere Fagart, 33 years old
A graduate of Mime Corporel Dramatique, Bérangère decided to change her career to start cooking. Today, the young self-taught chef opens her own restaurant, Sélune, in Paris since 2019, where she offers committed and eco-responsible cuisine.
Jeremy Falissard, 40 years old
Trained in a restaurant in Sainte-Maxime, Jérémie began in establishments in the south of France, in Paris and London. But it was in Montreal that the chef finally settled there to open his own restaurant in 2008. Since then, he has also run two pizzerias, a gastronomic establishment, a bistro and two cocktail bars.
Carla Ferrari, 25 years old
This young mother is starting out in the kitchen because her own parents didn’t cook. “They bought beautiful produce but left it to rot in the fridge, so I decided and challenged myself to cook it,” she confesses. Trained at the Ferrandi school, she Carla left to continue her studies in Italy where she met her husband. She there she opened a pizzeria in Turin, which quickly rose to the top 100 in the city.
Miguel Garcia-Herrera, 27 years old
Miguel, born in Mexico, is willing to do anything to come cook in Europe. He then joined the Foreign Legion to obtain his papers and ended up settling in Lyon, where he first worked a traffic jam in the city. He later joined the kitchens of Marguerite Bocuse and Bistrot d’Abel, before becoming chef at L’Astra at just 26 years old.
Danny Khezzar, 26 years old
Originally from Rosny-sous-Bois in the Paris region, Danny trained at Jean Drouant’s hotel school in Paris. It was thanks to his father, a plumber, that he debuted in the gourmet kitchens of chef Pierre Gagnaire. Called in to fix a water leak at the restaurant, his father hears that the chef is looking for staff and thinks of his son, Danny, to try.
Jacques Lagarde, 27 years old
During this season, Jacques will face his brother Mathieu. Trained in Paris, Australia and New Zealand, the young chef now works in the south of Spain, at La Cascada Cocina restaurant.
Mathieu Lagarde, 30 years old
Like his brother Jacques, Mathieu also trained in Australia and New Zealand where he now works as executive chef at an establishment named the country’s best restaurant in 2022.
Cesar Lewandowski, 26 years old
Diagnosed with cancer at a very young age, César finds an escape route in the kitchen to try to forget his illness. Trained at the Ferrandi school in Bordeaux, the young chef left for Bali at the age of 22 to open a restaurant there. Forced to return to Belgium during the pandemic, César has since opened another gourmet street food outlet, César Rolls, in Brussels.
Alexandre Marchon, 35 years old
show winner An almost perfect dinner. In 2012, Alexandre started as a self-taught chef at home where he trained directly at home and with his clients. Chef of two restaurants, he has now opened his own establishment, Le Marchon, in Paris.
Leo Renusson, 27 years old
Originally from Touraine and drawn to Alsace, Léo began in the kitchens of Riquewihr’s Sarment d’Or before moving to London to train in pastry. Today chef at the house of Astara caviar, the young chef does not hide his fear of the competition that awaits him: “I am very afraid to participate in Top Chef!”.
Hugo Riboulet, 23 years old
It was with his mother that Hugo discovered, from a very young age, his passion for tableware. He turned to this voice from high school with a professional bachelor’s degree in cooking, which he completed with a BTS. For his turn, chef Masashi Ijichi takes him under his wing. After this first ultra-training experience, he joined Laurent Petit’s team at the three-star restaurant Le Clos du Sens, in Annecy.
Gaston Savina, 28 years old
Gaston wants to prove himself. He announces it bluntly: “Top Chef is my revenge on my childhood and more particularly on life in general for a queer chef.” After years of bullying at school, the man who is now based in London has found a territory in which he can excel thanks to the kitchen: valedictorian, he began his career with renowned chefs and now evolves into events for celebrities.
Sarika Sor, 28 years old
Sarika’s face will not be unknown to viewers: the 28-year-old earned her spot on Top Chef by winning the televised pre-competition, Top Chef Target. A winning recycling, therefore, for whom he had started his career in marketing before following his passion. In his cooking he mixes French and Cambodian influences, the country of origin of his parents.
Source: BFM TV
