Upon entering Top chef, Jorick Dorignac made the eyes of the brigade leaders shine. Although he suffered a few scares in the eliminatory event, the young man also won several events, placing himself among the favorites for season 15. However, the final was not easy for the young man facing to his friend Clotaire Poirier. Indeed, the five voting jurors largely preferred Clotaire’s menu, giving it 34 votes against 16 for Jorick. But at the end of a thrilling finale, it was ultimately Jorick who won season 15 of the culinary competition with 56.54% of the votes. For Tele-Leisurethe young man looks back on his journey and this incredible outcome.
Top chef 2024: this physical detail of Jorick who “always made his friends laugh a lot“
Tele-Leisure : What was most difficult for you in Top chef ?
Jorick Dorignac : The biggest difficulty is fighting against your emotions with a timing that is as oppressive as possible. What is important is to desecrate this moment, when we are filmed. We know it will be seen by millions of people. So you just have to show who you are, cook beautiful food and be proud of what you do.
And the fatigue linked to the competition can also be seen on the faces of the candidates!
In life, I already have a lot of dark circles. It always made my friends and colleagues laugh a lot. As the week progressed, I grew worse and worse. By the end of the week, I look like a zombie. It’s always been like that and today, when we erase them with makeup, I don’t like it because I don’t recognize myself. In fact, I prefer myself with a bad face! (He laughs.) Top Chef, it’s very, very tiring. It’s a very intense psychological fatigue. When they say it’s a marathon, it’s true. Each step requires incredible concentration. And I believe that It’s this fatigue that shows the most on my head.
“There is no debate“: Jorick returns to the jury vote in season 15 of Top chef
How long did it take you to create the final menu?
Usually, to prepare for the final, candidates have one month. We only had a week. The reality is that I didn’t think too much about it, it was done in 5 minutes 30. I returned to my normal work week, I needed to disconnect from the competition and reconnect with my teams and my loved ones. I wanted to arrive at this final fresh, ready and in good shape.
How was the day in the brigade?
I had a great time with this final. We promised ourselves with Clotaire and these two teams to enjoy our ten hours of cooking with everyone, especially the production teams. There were harder, more intense moments, but I am proud of the menu that came out.
What do you say to yourself in the face of the jury’s votes, without appeal, for Clotaire’s menu?
To be honest, I didn’t experience it very difficult. I have two feelings going through my head. The first is “I don’t care a little because I’m super proud of my team, of this day and of this menu“. I have no regrets, may the best win! The second feeling that crosses me, it’s not annoyance but I had the impression that the leaders, on this test, judged my personality that they saw throughout the competition and not the test as such with its title which is to please 100 guests. When I hear “Jorick was not found“, I do not agree. Jorick does not confine himself to making liquid vacuum bags (dish that he made in the quarter-finals and which earned him the crush of David Munozeditor’s note). That’s what I had a hard time accepting at the time. But quite honestly, I didn’t have the balls. Clotaire deserved it as much, there was no debate.
Several months pass between the final dinner and the knife ceremony. Have you been able to speak with Stéphanie Le Quellec in the meantime?
Stéphanie has been true to herself, that is, supportive from the start. For her, my menu was fair and effective. Of course, there were things to review, but there always is. But she supported me by telling me that there was room, that often the vote of the leaders was not that of the greatest number.
“It’s a black hole“: what Jorick felt just before the final verdict of Top chef
What do you feel when you pull the steel blade, synonymous with victory?
First, there’s the moment when I open the envelope and see the percentages. It’s both tight and marked. I tell myself : “It does not smell good.” The moment I place my hand on the handle of the knife, I feel like it’s a black hole. I see everything blank, I don’t understand. I draw this blade and in the end, I let my joy explode because I made the right choices and it worked out for me this time. I am extremely proud to be able to say “thank you” to those close to me, to show them that this victory is also for them. It was a really beautiful moment.
Were you able to speak with Clotaire after the final?
Of course ! We drank together. Afterwards, we reserved a space with his relatives and mine in Paris, just to celebrate. Clotaire is a friend. He had a very noble defeat. And I didn’t jump for joy in front of him because that’s not my way. We talked a lot, we were so happy for each other. And my victory is also his.
Top chef : Is Jorick still in contact with Stéphanie Le Quellec?
You talk about your “beautiful meeting” with Stéphanie Le Quellec. How does your relationship materialize?
I write to him a lot, we call each other, we eat together at lunchtime. We talk about cooking, we remake the world. She is not shy of advice. We cooked together recently (also with Valentin, editor’s note). Will there be other projects like this? Most certainly because, when we get along so well, we inevitably want to repeat these kinds of events. This is obvious to me.
Did she give you any advice for dealing with the aftermath?
Yes, we talk about it. But it’s up to me to live my thing. Instead, she tells me that she’s there if I need her, but she doesn’t necessarily want to give me more advice than that. There are two or three concepts discussed, but she knows my personality, she knows that I’m not the type to get excited, that I have my feet on the ground. She met my family, my friends. She saw that I was a simple person. I don’t want my life to change, I want to stay the same guy, although it will change because Top chef is a pretty crazy professional and personal accelerator.
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