10:00 AM – The first visitors arrive and each “chef for a day” prepares with their young assistant from the prestigious Paul Augier Hotel School in Nice. The ingredients are ready, the pots are on the burners, and the oven is preheating, awaiting its bird while throats tighten and the first beads of sweat appear on the foreheads of the journalists more used to instruments like pens or keyboards. The real and starred chefs arrive at the contest venue to discover the candidates and their recipes. Jacques Chibois, Thierry Thiercellin, Serge Gouloumés, Stéphane Raimbault, Mathias Dandine, or Jilali Berrekarma find themselves in the unusual position of judging those who are usually expected to do so.
10:30 AM – The organizers give the starting signal and the hive springs into action. It’s bustling, cooking, braising, deglazing; in short, chefs and assistants are doing their best under the benevolent eyes of their masters, who dispense precious advice and divine tips here and there. Flavors and aromas attract the many visitors of the salon, who now gather around the stoves to follow the progress of each recipe.
11:30 AM – It’s been an hour since the contestants started transforming their products into the most delicious blends, and the tension is still at its peak, with the clock running too fast for some and not fast enough for others. In La Fontaine’s fables, while there’s no point in rushing, one must start on time; in cooking, the most crucial aspect is reaching the final dish or plate.
12:00 PM – The finalization phase has begun, with no turning back, and the starred chefs leisurely move from one contestant to another, not hesitating to taste sauces, stuffings, juices, and ongoing preparations. With just 30 minutes left before plating and serving, the starting blocks are being set up.
12:30 PM – It’s half-past noon, the perfect time for the contestants to present their creations to the chefs seated at the table of honor. The guinea fowl has taken center stage and is accompanied by the most diverse flavors at the masters’ table, who taste, smell, and scrutinize the bird from every angle before delivering the much-awaited verdict. Ultimately, it is Bernard Van De Kerchove who will be the happy winner of the contest with his “Guinea Fowl à la Tfaïa,” which captured the jury’s attention.
“Meriem, Sophie, Paule, Stéphane, and Franck need not be ashamed of their placements of honor, as the quality of their performance amazed and occasionally pleasantly surprised us.” A nice compliment from great chefs to these press professionals, who have already made a date for next year at the same place for a rematch just as friendly and festive.
