He is one of the emblematic candidates of this thirteenth season. To the point of leaving viewers stunned when he had to leave in a hurry Top chef a few weeks ago « for personal reasons« . Back in the competition a week later, Lilian Douchet never stopped wanting to take advantage of this second chance and defend the purple colors until the end. But the competition stopped for him at the end of the thirteenth evening. A rather crazy course of which Tele-Leisure was able to chat with the former manager of a supermarket.
« It was freestyle from the start«
Tele-Leisure : Why did you participate in Top chef this season ?
Lilian Douchet : I have never subscribed to Top chef. I had been contacted by the casters when I worked at George V and at La Truffière. At the time, I was 22 and already a sous chef. They called me back this year. When I found out I was taken, I went to see my CEO. He told me : « Go ahead, Lilian, go for it! You are made for this.«
You hadn’t cooked for two years. Did you train before the competition?
No, I haven’t trained at all. I was cast at the beginning of September, then there were the qualifying rounds two weeks later and filming began a week later. I don’t even know if I’m at 50% of my abilities on Top chef. I thought we would have a kitchen available to train between events and that I would regain my bearings, but no. It was freestyle from the start!
What did you fear the most in the contest?
To be eliminated first. I had told my family about it. I did not know the level that was going to be there or if I myself still had the level. Besides, for the very first event, I didn’t sleep all night, I had a sleepless night.
« I could have easily won Top chef«
Your goal was the quarter-finals to get back into the business. Isn’t it too frustrating to be eliminated at the gates of this stage?
YES, it’s totally frustrating especially since I think I could easily have won Top Chef. Even today, I tell myself that I screwed up and that I was surely not strong enough in my head. I had the level to be at least in the semi-finals.
Precisely, what did you miss this evening?
For the first test, I do not really choose my cause. I had a very nice one, but it was much more personal, I didn’t want to talk about it. I did not want to express my weaknesses in front of the whole earth. I am very happy that Arnaud (Delvenne, editor’s note) won this event because I thought his cause was great. For me, we judged the cause more than the kitchen. This is my personal opinion. As for the second test, I prefer not to answer.
Do you understand the jury’s decision on the last chance?
Yes, I knew I was losing as soon as my preparation was over. I miss 5-6 minutes. I didn’t have time to sweeten my tiles or cook my pears properly. Sébastien (Renard, editor’s note) did a great job because he’s a great cook. I knew that to win against him, I had to do something without the slightest fault. And there were mistakes.
A rave jury
Were you able to discuss with the jury after your departure?
Sure ! They all had amazing words for me. When I say that my dream is to become a great chef, Glenn Viel cuts me off and says: « Stop, Lilian, you’re already a great chef!« It’s huge. Hélène Darroze tells me that it would be an ultimate mess if I didn’t take over the kitchen. They all told me that they would be there for me. The four judges were extraordinary. As for Paul Pairetwe talked for an hour together.
He seemed very moved by your departure…
I think, for Paul Pairet, I was the winner. He told me several times during the competition. Inevitably, he is disappointed. And me too, because I necessarily wanted to make him win.
« Every night, I take an hour to reply to messages«
Very quickly, you became the darling of the public… and not only for your cooking…
It seems… (He laughs.) I get a lot of messages, yes.
You are very active on social media…
I know that I am followed on the networks and that I owe them a lot. So I try to do as much as possible. I am often asked for birthday messages on video, I try to do them. Every evening, when I get home from work around midnight-1 a.m., I take an hour to answer as many people as possible. I apologize for not being able to respond to everyone else. When I have reservations for a birthday, I try to adapt my schedule accordingly, when I can. I always preview my restaurants with my subscribers. This week, I should sign for my first gourmet restaurant which should open at the end of September. I will share all the steps with my followers and maybe even have them make some decisions.
After opening a restaurant in Bordeaux a few weeks ago (Lil’ Home), you are about to open one in Paris (Lady Augustine) and you announce a third…
Yes, now is the time! I’ve always been super ambitious. I wanted to open restaurants where as many people as possible can come. If I had opened a gastro directly, I would have gone to a « lite » and that’s not what I wanted to do. Whether in Paris or Bordeaux, I stay on very attractive prices so that everyone can come for a tapas, an aperitif or a lunch. Currently, I work from 7 am to 1 am, seven days a week. I stopped for two years, now I have to catch up and do things thoroughly. I’m going to try to go 2000 an hour by doing things right.