For Sebastian, from a very young age, cooking was synonymous with generosity and generosity. through plates “comforting and effective”, a young man wants to please those he loves. Hailing from Codri in the north, Sebastien is an enthusiastic and overexcited character. Throughout his remarkable career, the candidate has shown relentless motivation. Even in the midst of the chaos, he smiles his most beautiful smile and redoubles his energy by shouting one of his favorite sayings: “I am the storm.”
He made his debut as a chef at Le Meurice with Alain Ducasse, then at Le Papillon with Christophe Sentany. Desiring to be reunited with his native land, he then joined the kitchens of the Château de Beaulieu in Busne, becoming assistant chef Marc Meurin for five years. With his career in Best ChefSebastian wants to open his own restaurant very soon… A look at a wonderful career.
Conbini food | Have you always wanted to be a chef?
Sebastian | I have always enjoyed making others happy. I am very attached to my family values and as a child I remember that I always wanted to bake pancakes, this became a moment of exchange. We loved receiving and sharing, that’s what’s beautiful about the kitchen. Actually I have two passions: drumming and cooking. In the ninth grade, I had to focus on either one or the other, and finally I took up cooking, going to the hotel school in Le Touquet.
Since then you have worked at Meurice, Papillon, Château de Beaulieu in Buss… What have these different experiences brought you?
For five years I studied at a hotel school in Le Touque where I got my bachelor’s degree and then BTS. I wanted to see something else. From 2014 to 2016 I worked with Alain Ducasse and Christophe Sentagne where I was able to learn a lot, it was a very rewarding experience. Then, in 2016, I wanted to return to the North, to the region where I grew up. I lived at the Château de Beaulieu for five years.
There, two friends signed me up for Best Chefthey really believed in me. I don’t know if personally I had the click to register. Finally, I saw it as a way to clash with other cuisines. In the end, I felt like a very happy little boy to meet all these chefs. It’s just amazing.
It must be a little destabilizing arriving at the cooking show…
It’s very stressful. At first it is difficult to combine cooking and television, sometimes it is frustrating because you need to put everything into words … But I saw strength in this, because it allowed me to master a new job.
During the semi-final, Arno asks you to rework your tuna fishing. How do you live?
I already knew that my sisters like it, it’s something I’ve eaten before, it speaks to me. But the fact of starting from there is quite unexpected. I approached this event like the rest of the competitors: I gave my best to go as far as possible. First of all, you should have used canned peaches… Thank you, Arno, thank you very much! In the end, it was fun, but it was not easy, because you had to find an idea that made “Blimey”.
How to find an idea “Blimey” present a dessert of offal and blood during Louise’s second trial?
I experienced it a bit as a subject of philosophy: You have two hours, good luck. I find this even more destabilizing than the previous event. The offal for dessert was really wow… Anyway, I still left with a slight edge because I had already submitted the offal dessert for the Adrian Cachot event with Wilfrid. We made veal hat tagliatelle. By the way, that didn’t happen…
You decide to treat the hare and the radish for the third test. Why ?
Rolling a hare from A to Z in just two hours is almost impossible. Cooking takes time, we are asked to compress everything. It’s rather annoying, but also very instructive. During this test, I ask them to make a classic recipe, hare royale, which usually requires over 48 hours of marinade, in just two hours. I really went all out, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.
How would you describe your two rivals?
Louise’s kitchen is spectacular and always has a message behind it. She protects fine valuables in her kitchen. Arno is difficult. He had his ups and downs in Best Chef. He is very strong because he always finds the right definition, the right approach to the event. He knows how to get up every time. It is also very surprising that he offers tuna fishing, albeit original, but still something very simple. This characterizes the character very well: it is raw.
What do you remember from your trip?
move Best Chef, it’s like riding a TGV without looking at the scenery. We live by many things and we don’t necessarily realize it so quickly. Suddenly it’s all over, we look back and realize the adventure. I never thought I’d get this far. What allowed me to move forward was that I was surrounded by super caring people.
What is your best memory of the show?
With Yannick Alleno, I won the tournament with one stroke of poker. Having chosen a combination of sea urchin and chocolate, I tried everything, and I did it without regret. There is also an event during which I defended school bullying, which is a wonderful memory. I liked to give meaning to my kitchen: if the message that I carry can cheer up at least one person, that’s already cool.
How far have you come since then Best Chef ?
Today I have a consulting company, I do a lot of training for companies in Hauts-de-France and I do home cooking services. The idea is that the company I created will one day turn into a restaurant. So, I’m looking for a place to settle on the Côte d’Opal.
How would you describe your kitchen?
Soothing and effective. My kitchen highlights all the producers that I can’t cook without. If I didn’t have this whole team of producers, gardeners, farmers and all this human dimension behind me, I would be nothing. Alone we can go fast, but we don’t go far. My goal with the restaurant I’m about to open in Hauts-de-France is to highlight this whole human dimension, tell a story and take people somewhere else…
Do you already have an idea about the name of your future restaurant? Can we find out more?
I have a few ideas, but they must remain in suspense until the end. Inevitably, there will be puns on my place of origin, Codri, the city of lace… It will certainly be very funny and very controversial.