ELLE à table 2024 recipe competition: a second high-level edition

It’s a rush. In the vast kitchens of Ferrandi Paris, our four finalists are busy. Josépha, Anne, Claire and Julien were selected from around a hundred candidates to participate in the final of the second Grand ELLE à table recipe competition. They only have 1 hour 30 minutes to create their creation.
It’s not easy to find your feet in the middle of a professional kitchen, which has also hosted the greatest chefs (see box). Fortunately, four students from the school are there to lend them a hand and act as clerks. Just like the members of the jury, who come into the kitchen to provide some valuable advice. Enough to bring back memories to Chloé Charles and Eloi Spinnler, both former students of Ferrandi Paris, particularly marked by the quality of the teachers and their commitment to the students. But time flies, it’s already time to prepare the plates, so that they can be presented to the jury, tasted and then rated.

The jury tasting the competitors’ dishes.

Chef Eloi Spinnler gives some valuable cooking tips.

Finalists neck and neck

Time for deliberation. The jury (also made up of Vianney Lecocq, head teacher at Ferrandi, and Danièle Gerkens) remains focused. All members are pleasantly surprised by the level of our amateur cooks, but two recipes stand out. For the savory category, Lyonnais Julien wins with a vitello tonnato that is “very visually successful” and “perfectly cooked”. But the efforts of Parisian Anne with her vanilla butter cod were of course praised. For the sweet category, Claire’s floating peach and hazelnut island, a finalist from Nantes, will bow to the plum, rosemary and white chocolate dessert from Lille’s Josépha, for which the jury praises: “A very worked and at the same time comforting, with a very good balance between textures and tastes. »
Who says better? This sets the bar very high for the third edition next year!

The Kenwood “Go” collection, designed to take up little space without losing performance. The two winners of the final, Julien and Josépha, also had the chance to win a pastry robot.

Melons, grapes… the beautiful fruits of the French brand Philibon were also part of the party.

Focus on the Ferrandi Paris School

A true institution, recognized in France and abroad, the Ferrandi Paris school (founded in 1920!) has seen the greatest chefs and directors of establishments pass through its benches: Arnaud Donckele, William Ledeuil, Nina Métayer, Adeline Grégal , Camille Saint-M’leux, Amandine Chaignot… The school, located in the 6th arrondissement, offers training from CAP to Bac + 5 as well as training for adults in professional development or retraining. These different courses prepare you for careers in gastronomy and hotel management… Quite a program!
École Ferrandi Paris, 28 rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, Paris 6th (01 49 54 28 00).

ferrandi-paris.com/fr