2023-05-31 21:59:05
Julien THEUIL / M6
Mathieu Lagarde, the candidate eliminated from the Top Chef competition reacts
TELEVISION – We now know the names of the “Top Chef 2023” finalists. This Wednesday, May 31, Danny, Mathieu and Hugo faced each other in the semi-final of the M6 culinary competition. And in this episode, the technique was honored.
During three tests, the candidates still in the running prepared dishes around the following themes: molecular cuisine, pheasant pie and endive root. Each of these challenges was imposed by one of the participants, with the aim of destabilizing their opponents. The mission was simple: get your pass for the grand finale. And it was finally Mathieu, the last candidate from Glenn Viel’s squad, who lost after 13 weeks of competition.
At 30, Mathieu is a real ” lone wolf “ globetrotter. After having started in Parisian establishments, he left to work in Australia with his little brother for two years. Both then moved to New Zealand to work in the Amisfield restaurant. It is in this establishment, named best restaurant in the country in 2022, that Mathieu now holds the position of executive chef.
After his elimination, he agreed to answer a few questions posed by Le HuffPost:
You leave Top Chef at the gates of the final. Do you have any regrets?
My only regret is not having studied molecular cuisine. It might have allowed me to get a place in the final. Afterwards, it’s without resentment. The theme was really to destabilize his opponents so as not to give them a point and Danny handled it really well. So kudos to him.
Which is harder: passing your own test or those of others?
I would say perhaps more the imposed tests. On your own event, if you really master what you’re doing, it’s easier to win. On the imposed themes, it’s really quits or double.
How did you choose your theme?
During our retreat week, I had many thoughts. I told myself that I was going to do something that I liked to do at home, with something natural. I wanted to try to destabilize Hugo and Danny with a whole piece of meat to work on, it had to have an impact. It did but despite that, both of them beat me (laughs).
“I was disappointed that it was not Jacques”
Danny is back from the quarterfinals. What did you think when you saw him return to the set?
I was very happy for Danny and I thought he deserved it. He had eliminated 11 people and it must have been very hard. But afterwards, I was disappointed that it wasn’t Jacques. I would have liked to have had my brother too much, we would have had a good laugh.
Did your brother’s departure affect you?
I wish I had more memories with him. We did Top Chef together and we wanted to go as far as possible together to have lots of memories. We had some but not enough for my taste. During his elimination, I said to myself that whatever happens, even if the challenges imposed are not going to succeed me, I will never give up and I will fight until the end.
Were you still in contact with him during filming?
At the end of the episodes, I called him to tell him about my days. During the semi-final debrief, he surprised me by coming to see me on set. I was too happy. I think I had the easiest defeat in Top Chef because I was with him before and after my elimination. So it was a lot easier.
Did you think you would go this far in the competition?
For me, the whole of Top Chef went super fast. The tests followed one another and I had not had much time to realize. So I didn’t know what to expect.
“Chef Glenn Viel wears his heart on his sleeve”
In this episode you say: “my sworn enemy is time”. Yet we do not see you finishing the tests late.
The editors were nice and they manage to show that I’m not too lost. Time has always been my enemy. I think it’s not just for me, it’s the same for all candidates. If we take the test where I realize “onion darkness” for example. I started to really work 45 minutes before the end of the clock. And on the test imposed by Danny, I think that if I had had more time to think and experiment, I could have made a dish of which I was proud.
Throughout the competition, you were coached by Glenn Viel. Was that your first choice?
At the beginning, the three leaders wanted me in their brigade and I was lucky enough to be able to choose the one who would accompany me on the adventure. I chose Chef Glenn Viel and it’s a decision I will never regret. It’s thanks to him that I got this far in the competition because he managed to guide me. He will always have my gratitude for that. He is an awesome cook who is very inspiring in the design of his dishes. And as a person, he’s really caring, with his heart on his sleeve.
What was your relationship with him?
It was an honest relationship. When things were going well, we knew it and when things were not going well, we said so to each other. We laughed a lot, we shared a lot of defeats and victories together. I really had a crazy experience with him. I can’t wait to see him again. He offered me to do an internship with him. I don’t know when I’ll go, but for sure I will one day and I’ll take Jacques (laughs).
What did your boss tell you when you were eliminated?
During the head-to-head, we said a lot of things while remembering my journey in Top Chef. He told me he was very proud of me and I was very happy to hear that. My greatest victory is that my brother and chef Glenn Viel are proud of me.
“La Cantina Francesa was a huge success”
What are your future projects?
In September, I take my luggage and I will meet Mathieu in Spain in his restaurant. I’m getting closer to France like that, and then we’ll see if there are opportunities to be seized.
Is a new opening of the Cantina Francesa possible?
The Cantina Francesa created during the restaurant war was not a challenge to validate our ticket for the following week. We believed in it and we loved our project so much that we thought we had to open it. It was a huge success, all time slots were booked in two days. There are people who tell us that we should do it again. Maybe one day and this time I would like to be there to work with them. I want to see it for myself and share these moments. I can’t say that it’s 100% sure that we will reopen it, but I know that Carla and Jean would be ready to start again.
Now that we know the names of the finalists, what are the strengths of each?
I would say Hugo is very competitive, very technical and he was consistent throughout the competition. And Danny, he manages to put forward very aesthetic dishes with techniques that can be complicated. Both really have the weapons to go to the final and win.
See also on Le HuffPost :
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