INTERVIEW
He is one of the best known French chefs in the audiovisual landscape. Norbert Tarayre, former Top Chef candidate for the 2012 edition and host of the M6 group, has launched a new program on 6ter for several months: " La Grande Vadrouille de Norbert ". The principle is simple: travel all regions of France, in a motorhome, and revisit ancestral and traditional recipes, sometimes unknown to the local public. The troublemaker has fun "heckling the taste buds, shaking up traditions a bit" with the touch of humor that we know.
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Living to the rhythm of the regions
"I wanted to travel to places in France where I would not have gone on my own. We often spend our time wanting to travel abroad whereas in France we still have a fairly nice heritage and regions", explains the cook.
To live to the rhythm of the regions, Norbert Tarayre does not hesitate to disguise himself, as in Brittany during his last broadcast, where he arrives dressed in a yellow raincoat and a sailor shirt. "I do it a little amateur backpacker, which arouses a little reaction and a craze to be thrilled", jokes the cook, who plays on clichés. "In any case, we are always well received in France and that is a pleasure," he laughs.
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Tips to go faster
His challenge: to revisit centuries-old recipes such as the Kig ha farz recipe , the Breton fire pot, which traditionally requires several hours of cooking. Norbert Tarayre invents a new version, to be made in 15 minutes in the microwave. A way to cook faster in everyday life, but it refrains from sending a bad signal. "It is an excuse to talk about the French tradition and I think what is interesting is to talk about the farmers, the people who do it, and for that it was necessary to provoke a little provocation", explains the cook.
"Of course I do not advocate this ultra sanitized and ultra-sloppy cooking, but in cooking we can have tips, (...) to speed up time when we need it," he adds. "Some products require a lot of cooking, so we give up. So I intervene and I give little tips."
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The shoots interrupted by the coronavirus
Several programs have already been broadcast, but filming had to be stopped due to the coronavirus. "It will come back soon, I finished recording the voiceovers two weeks ago," says the presenter and restaurateur.
"From the youngest to the oldest, I bond with them," says Norbert Tarayre, who learned last week of the suicide of one of his restorative friends who had just lost his business because of the coronavirus health crisis. "It's painful, it's complicated when you see your life go up in smoke, your savings, put aside your employees".