INTERVIEW
For its eleventh season which has just started, the culinary show Top Chef has once again called upon chef Hélène Darroze as a member of the jury. The only woman in the group of chefs - made up of Philippe Etchebest, Paul Pairet, Michel Sarran - Hélène Darroze revealed the underside of the show at the microphone of Anne Roumanoff on Wednesday.
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The star chef, who runs several restaurants - including The Connaught in London and Le Marsan in Paris - says that his participation in Top Chef requires a significant personal investment. She says in particular to spend "long hours" on the set of Top Chef .
"Sometimes it's so good that the plates are empty"
In terms of taste, her jury duties are, in a few aspects, different from her chef's work. "You have to taste everything and alas we eat during the day," she says. She even goes so far as to estimate that a period of filming Top Chef , "it's two months where you gain a few pounds". If she explains that she is not forced to eat the whole meal, she sometimes admits to being tempted. "Sometimes it's so good that the plates are empty," she says.
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Because, despite her experience and recognition in the culinary world, Hélène Darroze says she is impressed by the level of the candidates. "I think at times, some are better than me. I don't know if I will be able to do what they do for two months, taking the shock physically, psychologically and technically," she explains. . The chief does not fear competition either. "If they become better than me, so much the better," she adds.