INTERVIEW. Arnaud Delvenne: “Thanks to Glenn Viel, I’ve grown out of Top Chef 2022”

Télé Star: Not too disappointed not to be the first Belgian to win Top chef ?

Arnaud Delvenne: I am absolutely not disappointed. I am even very proud to have been so far and that it was Louise who won the title of Top Chef 2022 because we both had values ​​to carry to the highest. It has a special flavor. Women are not yet well enough represented so it is very good that it is a woman, moreover of character and talent, who has won. I have great admiration for Louise. The morning of the reveal, I had also sent him a message wishing him victory. I had faith in her.

How did you feel when you discovered the orange tear on your knife?

Lots of excitement and relief. For me, Top chef stopped at the 17th week. The final remains a test of the competition but we do not apprehend it in the same way, since there is a break between the two during which we resume our job, our normal life so we detach ourselves a little from all that. I was not in the same conditions as the competition, there I was simply coming back for a banquet. I may have shown too much lightness but it is without regret, I did it on my own. I made a choice, I assume it.

This crucial point that Glenn Viel taught Arnaud Delvenne

What did Glenn Viel tell you after this defeat?

It’s not a defeat because I won a lot. After the reveal, we talked a lot with Glenn. He said to me, hugging me: “You have won everything”. I have been introspecting myself during these weeks. I accepted myself on certain points. I apologized to those whom I may have offended over choices I had made in the past. I come out of it grown thanks to Glenn.

Your journey within Top chef has it allowed you to gain confidence in yourself and in your cooking?

It is clear that I have gained confidence in myself, not yet in my kitchen but I work on it daily. I thank Glenn but also my companion and my friends who supported me and who continue to do so.

Louise told us that you weren’t not stay to celebrate his victory.

Thirty-one people had come to support me for the reveal and had reserved a place so I found them there. Then I returned to Belgium. We can catch up with everything except the time so I wanted to spend this time only with the person who accompanies me. It’s not a question of pride or disappointment. I made a priority on the one who shares my life for a few months. Until now, I’ve always put my job first – which cost me my previous relationships. This one I want to perpetuate. Glenn taught me to separate things and stick to the essentials. It’s the best thing he’s taught me these few months.

Arnaud Delvenne: “I had not imagined the extent that my participation in Top Chef would take”

At the start of this final, Glenn Viel gave you a hard time because your mussels were overcooked. At the time, did you resent Lilian who was in charge?

If I win, it’s thanks to them. If I lose, it’s because of me. There, Lilian isn’t really making a mistake, it’s me who isn’t checking. It’s bad auditing, bad management. He’s not at fault and I can’t blame Lilian, he’s my little brother.

Are you ready for the new life that awaits you?

Nobody is ready. It really changes your whole life and the perception that others have of your life. I am someone who does not like to disappoint and already puts enormous pressure on myself on a daily basis. But my companion stabilizes me. I had not imagined the extent that it would take. I need a few days to take a step back – which I never did – to understand and choose the best direction that will give me the most happiness. Today, I want only one thing, it is to continue to be happy.

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