“If I had been a lone candidate all season, it might have been better,” says Arnaud Baptiste.

“There was no match. This is how Stéphane Rotenberg summarized the results of the restaurant war of this twelfth season of Top chef. For the first time this year, the candidates had to adapt to the current trend: catering in delivery. A test which did not succeed for Sarah and Arnaud. The latter was eliminated after eleven weeks of competition. He takes stock of his journey to 20 minutes.

In the restaurant war, you created a somewhat divisive decor. Were you afraid of not opening up with Sarah?

Yeah, yeah, we went nuts (laughs). I said to myself that our idea was striking, striking. Either it passed or it broke. I think that’s what made the difference with the other restaurant that wasn’t taken. I really wanted to do something that was in our delirium and try to push it to the maximum. We had an idea, we were at the end and that is the main thing.

In the restaurant there was 5-1 for you. Take away, there was 9-0 for Mohamed and Matthias. Do you regret anything in particular?

I regret nothing. I don’t know how it happened with them, we had no vision of the people who tasted at their homes. Mohamed and Matthias made more consensual things to eat at home. When you get that, it’s easier than something eaten with your hands. They said the fry didn’t come out crispy. When I order McDonalds on Uber Eats, I know the fries aren’t going to be as good as if I ate them there. I was a little disappointed with that. Afterwards, I said to myself that it was the game.

Do you regret the plate you made at the last chance?

I am happy with all the plates I have made. I did something that I thought was right. When I saw other people’s plates, I didn’t see anything that made me say “Oh yeah, him, he’s hot”. I tried to do several things that recalled the different forms in which you can eat salad. I thought I was in the theme, I thought I had my place. I did not think I fell in love with it, but would fall through the cracks. Frankly, I had a bit of the seum because I was on a good roll. I am a competitive person who has a mind. On this last chance, I think my plate was missing something but I don’t know what yet.

“It’s the tile, the hard blow. I was convinced that we would go even further together, ”Hélène Darroze tells you. And Michel Sarran promises you a bright future. What are you feeling at that moment?

It’s warm to my heart. I am someone who does not go unnoticed, I may have an outspokenness and a certain way of being, but I am myself. There is no half measure. By choosing my plate, they did not know it was mine. They all saw me go further. It was a bit of astonishment. But it’s a competition, it was written that the adventure had to end this week for me.

You were a solitary candidate for the Mauro Colagreco test. Did it make any difference to be alone?

I was happy to be a lone candidate. I told myself that I was not going to have a brigade leader, that it would be me against everyone and me with myself too. You really do your cooking, your own delirium. If I had not won this event, I would have been told it was because I did not have a brigade leader. Limit, if I had been a lone candidate all season, it might have been better for me. When you have an idea, the bosses say “Are you sure you want to do this?” Wouldn’t we do like that? They often doubt you when, if it is, you have the right idea the first time. You have to listen to their advice while staying in your original idea. You torture your mind while when you’re all alone, you go all out with the conviction that it’s your plate that will win.

In your portrait, you say that “Top Chef” can change your life and that it is a particle accelerator. After eleven weeks of broadcasting, what is your assessment?

I am super happy with the broadcast, I recognize myself well. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing. It opens doors for you that might remain closed forever if you hadn’t. You are direct in the spotlight so it’s interesting for us cooks. Before gaining a reputation and a clientele, it takes years of work. With Top chef, people can see what you are offering so they come to your restaurant on their own, that’s what’s important.

Today, are you still sous-chef of the Allénothèque?

Not at all. I resigned and there, I do a lot of chef at home. I would like to find a place of chef in a nice structure, the time to set up my restaurant project.