We knew him as the designer of Nice Premium before he joined the Communications Department team of the City of Nice as a project manager for new technologies, and we are pleased to see Franck Viano as a candidate for the qualification for the Masterchef show produced by Shine France and broadcast on TF1.
The concept is simple: amateur chefs (candidates must never have worked in the restaurant industry or obtained a qualification in the field) compete in culinary challenges against prestigious chefs such as Frédéric Anton or Yves Camdeborde. Each week, a candidate is eliminated, and the final winner walks away with €100,000 to fulfill their dream of becoming a chef.
The South qualification round will take place in Marseille on Monday, March 14, and Franck will be challenging other southern candidates, hoping to enter the “big kitchen” and be among the lucky few to participate in the Masterchef show.
Nice Premium: So Franck, how did this preselection process go?
Franck Viano: Well, I submitted my application a few weeks ago with lots of personal information and, most importantly, a complete technical sheet of the recipe I wanted to present at the preselection (Duck Parmentier with fennel tatin). A few days later, I received a call from the production informing me that my application had been accepted and giving me an appointment on March 14 in Marseille.
Nice Premium: What will happen on March 14 in Marseille then?
FV: Each contestant must prepare a cold dish (starter, main, or dessert), and a jury will decide who among them will move on to Paris. I have a few ideas already, but I haven’t definitively decided which dish I’ll present to them. I thought of a Niçoise salad in millefeuille style, a supreme of chicken with pistou, but until then, I think I still have time to change my mind (Laughs).
Nice Premium: Where does your passion for cooking come from?
FV: Let’s say, like Obélix, I fell into it when I was very young, first with my grandmother and her capouns, gnocchi, pissaladière, stew, or chard pie. Then, my brother and my best friend, who both graduated from the famous hotel school in Nice and founded Fran Calin.
Then many other influences from the tables I like to frequent in Nice… as well as elsewhere!
And I am lucky to have my dinner table set each night by my wife and children, who are my first critics and my fervent supporters. There’s no question of serving them hamburger steaks and potato balls at home; they’re more about homemade ravioli, veal tongue, or blanquette.
Nice Premium: What does Masterchef represent for you?
FV: It must be a wonderful adventure, and having followed it during the first show, I have to say that the contestants had a remarkable level despite none of them ever having worked in the restaurant industry. It’s also a unique opportunity to work alongside great chefs and a cuisine specialist, which allows you to understand your mistakes and, therefore, progress.
Nice Premium: What can we wish you for the future?
FV: Well, that the selection in Marseille goes wonderfully, allowing me to “elevate” Niçoise cuisine to “haute cuisine” so they can discover the tastes and flavors of one of the few cuisines to bear the name of its city.
We are fortunate to have a rich and varied Niçoise cuisine that works with many ingredients like fish (poutine, stockfish…), vegetables (zucchini flowers, tomatoes…), meats (beef, veal…), and many other products that I hope to be able to work with during the second Masterchef show. I’m not one of those who “reinvents” traditional dishes but who keeps the main qualities while adding a personal touch.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife and children without whom I would never have dared this adventure, which will be just as beautiful even if it were to end on March 14 in Marseille…
