The Best Pastry Chef: behind the scenes

The program Le Meilleur Pâtissier broadcast on M6 has been a hit since its first broadcast in 2012. The program is still much appreciated by the French. The candidates are amateur pastry chefs. They come from different professional backgrounds. The concept is very popular, the public can aspiring to the title of Best Pastry Chef. Depending on the skills, but also the character and personality of the suitors, everyone has their own opinion on the predictions of the most deserving. A family and friendly atmosphere reigns at the Château de Groussay. Good humor is key.

A good culinary and family moment that we look forward to seeing again soon. Yes, Cyril Lignac , Mercotte and Julie Vignali will return to school on September 30. Discover right away behind the scenes of the show and the changes for season 9 of the Best Pastry Chef.

Changes planned for 2020

Covid-19 worried production

The shooting of August was strongly compromised. A case of coronavirus had been detected within the film crew of the Best pastry chef. From then on, the production reacted very quickly to take stricter measures and reorganize the filming of the show .

You will therefore not find Mercotte, Jacqueline Mercorelli of her real name, under the tent for this season. Fans can be reassured, however, that she still plays a key role in the show. In order to preserve it from the epidemic , for her the filming is done in duplex with the castle of her home. A whole upheaval of technicians and equipment landed so that Cyril's accomplice could participate in the show .

Small concern all the same, how will she be able to taste the cakes of the candidates? Cyril's visuals, technique and palate will therefore be Mercotte's only criteria for judging . An additional difficulty for the candidates.

What's New in Season 9

For this new school year, the production is full of new proposals that should delight pastry fans . Each traditional test of the program: the challenge of Cyril , the technical test of Mercotte and the creative test are maintained.

But these tests will have a particular taste for each of the budding pastry chefs . Indeed, these different events will all have an original theme to be strictly adhered to. An additional difficulty for the candidates , but also the opportunity to offer very beautiful preparations .

Last change to come for season 9 and not least, for the first time, a pastry chef eliminated to return to the competition. The competition will be all the more interesting. Until the final, all hopes are allowed.

The celebrities of the show

Cyril Lignac: creativity and a smile

Undoubtedly the best-known French culinary host, he was discovered on the M6 ​​television channel .

Thanks to the show Oui chef in 2005. Since then, it has continued to evolve. He has directed various cooking shows such as Chef la recipe , Vive la cantine , Le chef contre-attack , Le chef en France … But he is also at the head of many restaurants such as Le Quinzieme , Le Chardenoux , Aux Prés or the famous Chocolate factory by Cyril Lignac .

Nothing predisposed him to cooking. In his youth, unlike some great chefs , he was not at all passionate about cooking from an early age. He got into the kitchen a little by chance. He excels and takes a liking to it to never leave his apron again.

Always smiling, in a good mood and a bit teasing, he gives very good advice and his criticisms are always very constructive.

Mercotte, technique and softness

Just like Cyril, Jacqueline Mercorelli aka Mercotte does not know how to dive into the pot right away. She studied literature and obtained a degree in English. She has always appreciated good food and is quite talented in the kitchen .

It is only after the departure of her children that she puts on the apron for good. In 2005, she created her own cooking website “La cuisine de Mercotte” where she shares her passion, her recipes and her techniques. The success was immediate, as were the cookbooks that she published in particular in 2007. Then, in 2009, France Bleu Pays de Savoie asked her to be the culinary columnist for the program L'Assiette Savoyarde .

Very technical and unbeatable on the terroir and traditional recipes , Mercotte is not so easy to convince. But Mercotte also knows how to be gentle and kind. She helps the candidates a lot during the show and continues to support certain winners when they leave, as is the case for Anne-Sophie.

Julia Vignali, support and humor

The young woman takes up the torch held until 2017 by Faustine Bollaert . Both the public and the candidates greatly appreciate his simplicity, his humor and his joie de vivre. She also hosts the program Un weekend avec Mariotte alongside Laurent Mariotte.

Despite everything, she persists and signs, she really sucks in the kitchen! She also experienced some difficulties during her participation in the show Tous en cuisine with Cyril Lignac and Jérôme Anthony. However, the young woman was exemplary and held on until the end with the help of her companion Kad Merad .

The tests of the Best Pastry Chef and the quest for the blue apron

Mercotte's trials

Mercotte alone represents the traditional cuisine , the good tasty cakes of our grandmothers and the richness of our region. Each week, it offers a new test to the candidates. They have a recipe to follow and apply. Of course, to complicate things a bit, the recipe is truncated.

Each recipe has its own story, it's a real culinary and cultural discovery .

The objective of this test is to prove that the candidates have mastered the basics of pastry , the techniques and know how to read and apply a recipe. During the last season, Mercotte proposed to the candidates to work on a Kroon, a crown created in honor of Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Cyril's Challenges

Cyril also offers a challenge to the candidates. Pastry is technique, but it is also telling a story: the French culinary art . For this, he therefore asks the candidate to be creative , to revisit the great classics , to take risks as well in the presentation, the texture as the flavors. One of these challenges in season 8 was "the gourmet interpretation of a bouquet of roses"!

The creative challenge

The creative test gives more freedom to contenders for the title of Best Pastry Chef. Each week, a great chef accompanies the jurors of the program to judge the culinary preparations of the candidates.

In 2019, the theme of the ^6th week was: The cakes are skiing. It is X, an X who made the trip to the tent to discover the candidates' proposals. For the grand finale , a great English chef, Benoit Blin, will hold this place. The theme of the event was then “the carnival of cakes”.

The blue apron

Following these various tests and challenges, the best candidate of the week receives a blue apron . It is the one who knew how to demonstrate technique, organization, but also creativity, ingenuity and originality without ever losing sight of the pleasure of taste who wins the blue apron.

There is the top of the week and the flop of the week.

Each candidate must give the best of himself during these three tests. Ludovic exploded the counters by winning 6 technical events .

Behind the scenes of the show

Chateau Groussay

Like many of us, you wonder Where is the castle of the best pastry chef?

The castle is located in the Yvelines at Monfort-L'Amaury near Rambouillet [50 km from Paris]. The setting is idyllic and the estate sumptuous. For the record, the building dates from 1820. It was first the property of the Duchess of Charost, governess of the children of Louis XVI, then it was bought in 1938 by Charles de Beistegui.

The domain and the extravagances of Charles de Beistegui and the artists who accompanied him Emilio Terry and Alexandre Serebriakoff between 1950 and 1970 are within everyone's reach. The castle is open to the public so that you can, in addition to discovering behind the scenes of the show, appreciate the Tartar tent, the open-air theater, the Chinese pagoda, or even the outdoor pyramid. But the bowels of the castle all reveal as much beauty as its exterior park. The Louis XIII corridor, the ballroom, the theater, the tapestries are absolutely magnificent.

How to participate in the show

To participate in the show, you must validate several steps. Yes, even before the competition, it's a real obstacle course to access a place under the tent.

• Online registration
• Validation by email and request for several photos of your pastry preparations by category.

First LMP casting stage:

• The production calls you to ask you a few questions about you and your passion [how long have you been in the business, are you more technical or creative, etc.]

Second LMP stage:

• Production sends you a file with additional questions about your passion, your way of seeing pastry, etc. You will need to attach 4 photos of your best recipes and 2 photos of yourself. Now is the time to show your motivation.

Third LMP stage:

• You must present yourself with a cake prepared by you for a filmed interview.

Fourth stage LMP:

• Technical test with 30 to 40 contenders for 10 places.

Fifth stage LMP:

• The good news, you are selected and will participate in the next season of the Best Pastry Chef

The achievements of the contestants of the show

The achievements all deserve a little word to describe their originality, their unique beauty, their flavor and their technique.

The show's recipes range from apple pie, cheesecake, profiteroles, meringue and desserts. Each achievement tells a story like "Chelsea biscuit children's tales", revisits a traditional recipe or uses trompe-l'oeil like its absolutely magnificent Fox.

The birdcage all in sugar paste by Élodie, the Christmas scene in biscuits by Gérard, the rolled cake by Jean-Pierre evoking poker or even the chocolate tart revisited by Roxane are absolutely sublime.

Through their passion and their personality, the candidates make pastry a work of art.

Where to find LMP recipes

If you wish to try to reproduce the most beautiful achievements of the candidates, here are some addresses which could be useful to you:

• Cook First : by theme
• Mercottes : per season
• Cuisineaz : by cakes

What happens to the cakes?

Don't worry, the wonderful pastries are not lost on everyone. It's the film crew who benefits from the tasting!

Unfortunately, in order not to break the cold chain, it does happen that a large part of the ingredients or the cakes are thrown away.

The fans would however be happy to know that, as for the Top Chef show , the preparations are redistributed to associations like the Red Cross here.

What happened to the winners of previous seasons of the Best Pastry Chef

Thomas, winner of season 1

The first winner of the great adventure of the Best Pastry Chef was Thomas, this young man continued to satisfy his pleasure in great pastry by offering workshops in various specialized shops, but also pastry lessons to individuals. To date, no proposal has been able to convince him to leave his current job as a laboratory technician in the food industry.

He deeply loves his job and therefore continues to please his loved ones in the evenings and on weekends, at home in his kitchen to concoct fabulous gourmet and tasty recipes .

Mounir, the winner of season 2

He was able to take advantage of his time on the show to bounce back and progress in the profession. This former milling turner obtained his pastry CAP with flying colors. He did not have time to create his own boutique in Paris , the Swiss called on him to serve in a hotel in Neuchâtel.

Anne-Sophie wins season 3

The big winner of season 3 has made a name for herself in the world of pastry . Today she lives honorably from her profession. She is an author and food stylist . Like all the other winners of the show, she wins the publication of her cookbook . The latter sold very well since a second printing was launched the following year.

Fully fulfilled, the young mother, pregnant during the show, now exercises her passion with a lot of love and originality. She writes recipes for many magazines and keeps a blog “Fashion Cooking” which continues to grow.

Cyril, the winner of season 4

This professional policeman continues to carry out his activity with a rather busy schedule. However, he always finds a small place for pastry. He keeps a blog on which he shares his passion .

Chelsea, the winner of season 5

The young Australian, after succumbing to the charm of a handsome Parisian in 2012, moved to Paris. But that's not the only change in Chelsea 's life. His victory in 2016 was the initiation of a very nice surprise. She was a “nanny and English teacher at home”, today she works two days a week at Mon éclair. This large house was founded by one of the semi-final jurors, Grégory Cohen himself. She is delighted with her journey and very happy with the life she leads today.

Her husband to help her win this competition had added an additional reward. If the young woman won the prize for Best Pastry Chef, he would buy her an English bulldog. Otto therefore very quickly invited himself into the couple's house for their greatest happiness.

Rachel wins season 6

Rachel was a fighter until the end. Remember how hard the challenge in Italy was for the 28-year-old young woman at the time. The heat in the tent was unbearable, and her buttercream was repeated 3 times. The idea of ​​abandoning the contest and giving up her apron crossed her mind many times that day. She did well to hold on, she won the competition and since her notoriety has brought her some laurels.

Like many other candidates, Rachel did not want to become a professional, she wants to be free in the exercise of her passion, and exercises it rather well! She now gives pastry lessons with love and kindness to the delight of her customers. At the same time, she also manages a culinary blog “still spring”.

Ludovic, winner of season 7

The science teacher was able to rely on his scientific skills in the art of his pastries. Today he maintains a website and a Facebook page in which he shares all his best recipes.

Camille wins the last season 8 of the best pastry chef

The 27-year-old financial consultant has had an exceptional career. She won 7 blue aprons over the 12 weeks of competition!

His book was released last December in paper and digital versions. After a few signing sessions, she maintains a link with her audience by offering a blog and pastry workshops .

Who will be the Best Pastry Chef 2020?

Like all of us, you can't wait to find out Who will win the best pastry chef 2020?

Tell us in the comments who is your favorite candidate and Who will be the next Grand Pâtissier 2020?

The best pastry chef 2020 (season 9) on M6: Return on September 30, 2020 with Cyril Lignac and Mercotte.

Find all the recipes of chefs on our pastry blog and discover our pastry equipment to make the same recipes as in the show by clicking on the image below: