Finalist of the thirteenth season of Top Chef, Louise Bourrat returns for Télé Star on her journey alongside Hélène Darroze and reveals in what state of mind she is a few hours from the long-awaited verdict.
Télé Star: Did you expect to go all the way to final of Top chef ?
Louise Bourrat : Absolutely not. It wasn’t even my goal. I just didn’t want to be eliminated first, because I didn’t come all this way for nothing. I took each week as it came. And each time, I was surprised to still be there.
In what state of mind were you approaching this ultimate test?
We had a short month between filming the semi-final and the final, so it was a return to real life. I was working in my restaurant. By nature, I live in the present moment, I never project myself. So I was very detached, because busy.
How did you prepare your final menu?
I prepared it on the last possible day. I really walk to the emergency room. I couldn’t really work on my menu, unlike Arnaud who, I believe, trained two or three times at life size. So I cooked my signature dishes that I’ve been serving in my restaurant for years and working well. On the other hand, I had perhaps not thought of them for 80 people. It was not the best thing to do (laughs).
Louise Bourrat: “When Hélène Darroze told me that she had learned by my side, I no longer knew where to put myself”
During the semi-final, Hélène Darroze said she learned from you. At that time, did you tell yourself that you had already won everything?
I had already said that to myself long before that (laughs)! It’s a bit intimidating. I no longer knew where to put myself (laughs). It’s super touching. These are words that I keep very close to my heart. It touched me a lot.
Would you have liked to be coached by another chef or could you not dream of a better chef de brigade?
I wouldn’t change the way things turned out. But I would have learned and enjoyed being alongside each of the chefs. I would have liked to do an adventure with each of them. I appreciate them all and could have learned from each. Afterwards, from the start, my intuition led me to Hélène Darroze, and vice versa. We mutually chose each other. If I did all the competition at his side, it was because it was the path that had to be taken; And this is very well so.
What advice from Hélène Darroze do you remember?
It’s not so much advice but the fact of hammering at me all the time: “Louise, you are legitimate. You deserve to be there. You can go far”. She believed in me from the start and never let me down. I kept apologizing for being there. It was not easy between myself and myself. We all have this feeling of impostor, even a guy like Lilian who, for once, has a very classic background but hasn’t cooked for two years. We all wondered if we were good enough to be there.
Louise Bourrat: “I didn’t learn as much as what I came to look for in Top Chef”
If you had to do it again, would you change anything about your adventure Top chef ?
Yes. I would have liked my brigade mates [Wilfried Romain et Thibaut Spiwack, ndlr] don’t leave so soon. And do more trials with them. Because I had come to learn cooking, so I needed to cook with others. I missed it. I realized that all along, since I was alone, I did what I knew how to do. I didn’t learn as much as I came for. Little brothers gone too soon (laughs). The little test we did together was too good. There was a real osmosis, a real pleasure and a lot of love. It’s with them that I actually learned the most: how they build a recipe, a dish, the ideas they have… It was extremely enriching, since we work in different ways.
Are you going to open a restaurant in Paris?
I don’t have a project in Paris. I am well in Portugal. I have my life there, I am very happy there. Already, I try that my restaurant works well. May my customers be happy. May my team be happy. May I be happy too. But I don’t see myself in France. I need closeness with my team, that’s what makes me happy.
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3/12 –
Louise Bourrat
Between filming the semi-final and the final of Top Chef, Louise returned “to real life” in her restaurant in Portugal
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4/12 –
Louise Bourrat
“I couldn’t really work on my menu so I cooked my signature dishes that I’ve been serving in my restaurant for years and which work well,” says Louise.
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5/12 –
Louise Bourrat
And to launch with humor: “On the other hand, I had perhaps not thought of them for 80 people. It was not the best thing to do”
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6/12 –
Louise Bourrat
From her career in Top Chef, Louise remembers in particular her meeting with her brigade leader, Hélène Darroze
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7/12 –
Helene Darroze and Louise Bourrat
And this moment when Hélène Darroze, who said she learned by her side: “It’s a little intimidating. I didn’t know where to put myself (laughs). It’s very touching. These are words that I keep very close to my heart. It touched me a lot”, says Louise, embarrassed
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8/12 –
Helene Darroze and Louise Bourrat
“From the start, my intuition led me to Hélène Darroze, and vice versa. We mutually chose each other. If I did the whole competition alongside her, it was because that was the path he had to borrow; and that’s fine,” says Louise
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9/12 –
Louise Bourrat and Hélène Darroze
Louise will never thank Hélène Darroze enough for giving her confidence in herself: “She hammered me all the time: ‘Louise, you are legitimate. You deserve to be there. You can go far’. She believed in me from the start. beginning and never let me down”
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10/12 –
Louise Bourrat and Hélène Darroze
Nevertheless, if it were to be redone Louise would like her “brigade companions [Wilfried Romain et Thibaut Spiwack, ndlr] don’t leave so soon. And make more trials with them”
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11/12 –
Louise Bourrat
“I had come to learn cooking, so I needed to cook with others. I missed it,” laments Louise
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12/12 –
Louise Bourrat
And to conclude: “I realized that throughout, since I was alone, I did what I knew how to do. I did not learn as much as what I had come to seek”