- With his confusing and committed menu, Adrien did not win the "Top Chef" final.
- The candidate bowed to David, who delivered more classic proposals.
- Despite this defeat, Adrien remains the big winner (of heart) of this edition under the sign of daring.
"It is still a great defeat! Even in the face of failure, Adrien Cachot loses nothing of his placidity. Wednesday evening on M6, the candidate bowed to David Gallienne, during the final of season 11 of Top Chef , by proposing a daring menu, disconcerting of originality. A la carte? A shrimp cocktail hidden in a fake tomato, offal of veal as a main dish and a plastic cup (edible) for dessert. Taking a risk like this mad scientist in the kitchen.
Throughout the episodes, Adrien Cachot quickly became one of the favorite chefs of Top Chef fans , delighting them every week with his creativity, his touch of madness and his imperturbable character. If he did not win the competition, he is nonetheless an excellent representative of this special season, placed under the sign of audacity.
You seemed disappointed with your performance at the end of this test. Did you expect this defeat?
I am disappointed with my performance in the final, but I am very very proud of my team, I have nothing to blame anyone for. I am disappointed because I think the menu was a little too complicated.
Do you regret this menu?
I don't regret anything but I think I could have done better. Afterwards, I wanted to go to this final and win it in a beautiful way ... I preferred to take risks, as from the beginning, and as always. I had a great competition, I was with my friends, it was great.
What was the main difficulty for you in this test: Managing a brigade or addressing a more "consensual" audience as Paul Pairet says?
For me the hardest part is the audience. I thought about it because I used to work with a little bit special products and have fun, so that was a big headache. But this is the game. And on the brigade side, I am not a cheering chef and I had prepared all the dishes extremely well with the technical sheets, everything was ready. For me, the most complicated thing was to please a hundred people.
Your specialty is to prepare unattractive foods, such as organ meats. What do you like about it?
I think we need to stand out by being a young cook and working with these products, making them a bit sexy, is one way to do it.
Paul Pairet presents you as a "UFO" in the kitchen. Do you recognize yourself in this term?
It's complicated because I'm at the start of my career, so a UFO, we'll see that in the years to come. I don't think I will be one at the moment in terms of cuisine, perhaps more in terms of character. I prefer to take it with humility, it is a term that I like and which values me, but I bet more on the future. It's nice, but you have to confirm.
Do you think cooking should be free or follow rules?
If we trust the final, you have the answer! I think that ignoring the rules in France is complicated, but I will go in this direction.
Was Chef Paul Pairet the ideal coach for you on this adventure?
I think he's the craziest of the jury leaders! Obviously I think I am more suited to Chef Pairet, in freedom of expression, in character ... He still managed to understand me. And he is someone very kind, a very beautiful person, it is part of the very beautiful meetings in Top Chef .
Aside from your cooking, you made an impression very early on with the story of the bathroom break during the ordeal…
I was so happy that I was offered coffee that I drank a lot! And when I want to do something, I do it, I don't hold back too much. There, I wanted to go to the toilet and I went there. It is true that it is not done during a competition, but I had waited until they pass on my work plan to go there quietly, they returned unfortunately… But that remains funny therefore it is cool.
You seem Zen, relaxed, are you really like that all the time?
I undergo so much stress in my restaurant, I am all alone and it is complicated, that behind there is not too much stress, for everything ... Generally during weekends, with me it's cool. If you tell me to arrive at 1 p.m. I will arrive at 2 p.m. I'm the kind of laid back person, a little too much.
What is the test that put you in the most difficulty during this adventure?
The "trompe l'oeil in nature" test, because I was convinced that I was going to do worse than the others, so I didn't want to work too much. But in fact, maybe I should have wanted a little more.
It is not this test that inspired you the dessert of the final menu?
That of the final menu is a bit of a summary of what the season announced, so the ecology, the audacity, and I tried to summarize everything for dessert. But the “First step in nature” was really freestyle , I didn't really want…
Which dish did you prefer to make during “Top Chef”?
There are several… But I cannot say that these are my favorite dishes because they are only dishes that I made by improvising, suddenly for me nothing is really successful. But there are lots of little dishes that I like and have a good start, and that I will have to correct. I like the salad, the cup of the final dessert, the hot dog, the spectacular test…
Where did you get this idea of flambadou, a medieval utensil?
I have a friend who uses it in cooking in Bordeaux, at the Prince Noir. People eat the result, but never see it. So when I was asked to do something spectacular, for me it was a spectacular gesture that we no longer see and that we are not used to seeing as clients. I didn't invent anything, but putting it in front of my eyes I find it magnificent. It was really a great event because it was just my interpretation of the spectacular, at the time I found that I had the right idea.
What do you remember from this adventure?
A credibility that is hard to acquire as young cooks in everyday life, especially in my situation which is quite painful financially. Going to Top Chef also means giving yourself the chance to be seen and to be able to progress faster. It is a huge springboard. Then you have to want and not be afraid but it's a magic springboard.
A bit like Claude in "Koh-Lanta", you do not win the game but you are nonetheless the winner of heart of this adventure ...
Claude is very very efficient, I am efficient when I want! After that, the subject was daring, so yes, I may have been successful in this area. But it is a contest, there is a winner and a loser. I think that the greatest victory is still to have the public with you. I receive so much kindness that for me the experience is totally validated, and positive, so I also gained something.
And how does it feel to be one of the public's favorites?
I find that, in this season, there have been a lot of endearing personalities. It's cool because no one thought I could be a potential darling, for me it's a priceless victory. Everyone thought that it was not going to work with the public because I am a little special, perhaps a little too kind. I say what I think and I do not pretend when I do not feel like it ... Many doubted but I hope they looked well.
What are your upcoming projects ?
I want to have fun ! I want to enjoy, to have a restaurant where I can express myself completely, a real place of expression where I can continue to have my head in the clouds. Regarding Détour [his Parisian restaurant], I think we will transform it into a restaurant for lunch, I have a very good chef friend who might be ready to take over.
So for you it's over Detour?
This is no longer possible at the level of quality of life and level of life altogether. We worked a lot, it's a very small place, it's very complicated. There are other projects but for the moment I cannot speak too much about them. But I would like it to happen before 2021.
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