Since 1954, cooking shows have continued to gain popularity among French viewers. D‘Art and magic of cooking has Top Chef passing through The truth is at the bottom of the pot Or Nightmare in the Kitchenthe art of the table has often been on the menu of television programs, propelling starred chefs to the rank of true stars of the small screen. Business Cool tells you the history of cooking shows and its actors in the French audiovisual landscape.
Culinary shows over time
The beginnings of cooking on French television
It was in 1954 that the first cooking show on French television was broadcast: it was called Art and magic of cooking, was broadcast in black and white and presented by Raymond Olivier, chef of the restaurant Grand Véfour in Paris. For thirteen years, the chef presented his culinary techniques to convince viewers of the technical and artistic aspect of cooking. He formed, with Catherine Langeais, an atypical duo, and then turned his television performances into a written work. A few years later, from 1978 to 1983, his son Michel presented the weekly show The truth is at the bottom of the pot, broadcast on Antenne 2, but did not enjoy the same success. From then on, several shows followed one another without experiencing any real success and it was not until the start of the new millennium that a turning point took place: it was the beginning of new scripted cooking shows, reality TV shows which experienced a real success with French viewers.
The success of Top Chef And Masterchef
If Cyril Lignac launched the fashion for immersive culinary shows in 2005 with Yes Chief! (see below), Top Chefon M6 and Masterchefon TF1, have finished democratizing cooking reality TV in France. The two programs are essentially the same and feature cooks, amateurs in the case of Masterchefprofessionals to Top Chefwho compete in timed culinary and gastronomic challenges. They are then judged by star chefs, according to the taste, balance and aesthetics of their dishes. Little by little, the candidates are eliminated, until the grand final, where the two best cooks face off in a final duel.
Masterchef, launched in 2010, enjoyed great success at the start of its broadcast, even attracting up to 5 million people one evening in 2012, before seeing its audiences drop over time: the program was stopped in 2015, leaving the free field to Top Chef, its competitor at M6, where the audience is not weakening. Indeed, since its launch in 2010, Top Chef has attracted an average of three million viewers each week, or more than 15% of the audience share on Wednesday evenings. A success which is mainly explained by the quality of the jurors, the selected candidates and the originality of the tests.
Nightmare in the kitchen
Inspired by the show of the same name presented by British chef Gordon Ramsay, Nightmare in the Kitchen is a program featuring Philippe Etchebest, a starred chef known and recognized throughout France, coming to the aid of restaurateurs in difficulty. In total, 72 episodes have been filmed over ten seasons since its launch in 2013, for audiences estimated at two million viewers per broadcast session on average. Why this success? Chef Etchebest’s volcanic temperament, coupled with his characteristic sense of humor, makes the program a light-hearted show that is fun to watch, despite the distress of some participants.
The great figures of cooking on television
Cyril Lignac, figure of the new generation of chefs
Cyril Lignac makes himself known through the show Yes boss! where more than a million viewers are recorded for each broadcast, audience rates which allow M6, the channel on which the program is broadcast, to be the second most watched channel on Thursday evening. The show is inspired by a British program and consists of training around fifteen young people as chefs in record time, within its Michelin-starred restaurant. The Fifteenthin Paris. At the end of the show, the selected participants join Cyril Lignac’s brigade to work in one of his restaurants.
In 2005, the same year as the launch of his show, he founded his company and took advantage of this dual role to become one of the main figures in cooking in France. Its growing notoriety allows it to diversify its activities; he opened several establishments, from chocolate shops to gourmet restaurants and pastry shops, and also published several cooking books.
Still under contract with M6, he is still an emblematic personality of the channel and submits new ideas: this is the arrival of the program The Best Pastry Chef, available in several versions from 2015 to 2018. In total, since 2005, Cyril Lignac has participated in around twenty culinary shows, making him a true pillar of the French audiovisual landscape. A status which, according to Capital magazine, would allow him to receive nearly 250,000 euros. His fortune is estimated at more than ten million euros.
Star Philippe Etchebest
If he is today the emblematic figure of cooking shows in France, Philippe Etchebest was above all a rugby enthusiast, a sport in which he dreamed of making a career. Passionate about cooking and holder of a BTS in hotel and catering obtained at the Talence hotel high school, near Bordeaux, he completed his training in starred establishments, before taking off himself: he took charge of the family restaurant in 1995, then was elected Meilleur Ouvrier in France in 2000.
After obtaining several stars in the Michelin Guide, Philippe Etchebest was contacted by M6 to take up the concept developed in the United States by chef Gordon Ramsay: Nightmare in the kitchenwhose first broadcast was broadcast in 2011.
Thanks to his new notoriety, chef Etchebest is seeing an increase in attendance at his restaurants, thus strengthening his place on the culinary chessboard in France. Building on his reputation, M6 renews its confidence in him by offering him to become a member of the jury of Top Chef, also in 2011.
For ten years now, Philippe Etchebest has been riding the wave of success and continues to diversify his activities by opening new restaurants, but also by creating his YouTube channel, followed by more than a million people.
Paul Pairet, the discreet
Expert in molecular cuisine and reference in French cuisine on the Asian continent, Paul Pairet has joined the Top Chef jury for four seasons. Alongside Philippe Etchebest, Hélène Darroze and Glenn Viel, they guide, advise, encourage, judge and eliminate the fifteen candidates selected for the show. Each chef has his own style, Paul Pairet stands out for his atypical clothing style but also for his relatively calm attitude, unlike chef Etchebest, who is more angry.
The smiling Glenn Viel
He is the new kid on the band of Top Chef jurors. Arriving in 2022 to replace Michel Sarran, Glenn Viel is already a reference in the culinary world since he is today the youngest three-star chef in France.
Chef Hélène Darroze
Born in Mont-de-Marsan 55 years ago, Hélène Darroze is one of the rare women to have risen to the rank of starred chefs in France and was even voted best chef in the world in 2015, according to the World’s 50 Best ranking. Under the direction of Alain Ducasse, her career as a chef truly began in 1995, when she took over the family business, before leaving to conquer Paris, where she founded her first restaurant called Hélène Darroze. In 2003, three years after its opening, the restaurant obtained two stars in the Michelin Guide: it was the beginning of a success which continues to this day.
Her success therefore led to her being contacted by the editorial staff of the show Top Chef, of which she joined the jury in 2015, during the sixth season.
The legendary Thierry Marx
Aged 59, nothing seemed to predestine Thierry Marx to become the experienced chef he is today. His academic difficulties did not allow him to enter hotel school, as he dreamed of. This failure gave birth to an unrivaled determination in him. He then obtained a CAP in Pastry, Chocolatier and Glacier and left for the army a few weeks later, at 19 years old. When he returned to France, he did several odd jobs before joining the brigades of several popular restaurants, notably at Joël Robuchon.
From then on, his career was launched; he became a renowned chef throughout the world thanks to his experiences in Australia and Tokyo. In 1988, he obtained his first star in the Michelin Guide.
If he is recognized by his peers, we must wait until 2010 and the launch of Top Chef so that the general public discovers the character Marx. For four years, he hosted the show alongside Ghislaine Arabian, Christian Constant and Jean-François Piège and his popularity continued to increase. His activities diversified, he wrote several books, continued to participate in several shows, including Masterchef, relaunched on France 2 in 2022 and takes orders for new restaurants, including Jules Verne, on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, in 2018.
