There was almost no doubt, for several weeks, that she was the big winner. Manon won, Wednesday evening, the 11th season of the Best pastry chef, on M6. La Montpellier, youngest of the competition, flew over the competition, surprising, at each tasting, the taste buds of Cyril Lignac and Mercotte. The young woman, a student of dietetics, shouted her joy at 20 minutesthe day after his victory.
You can finally say it, you have won!
Yes ! Finally ! I could not wait.
How hard was it to keep the secret during these long weeks?
Frankly, yes, it is difficult. It was long. But on the other hand, seeing how loved ones experience the competition, seeing their stress… It’s quite funny, actually!
What does this victory mean to you?
It’s incredible, to say the least. It’s something I could never have imagined, ever. And I’m very happy, finally, to be able to shout it loud and clear. It’s a show that I’ve been watching with my parents and my sisters for six or seven years, and I never would have thought to even participate in it. It’s really crazy!
Viewers had almost no doubt in recent weeks that you were going to lift the trophy this season… And you?
Quite honestly, not at all. In my head, I never imagined winning. It was unreal. Of course, I was doing everything to win. And then, at Best pastry chef, we know, you can do anything, then crash a test, and it’s over. I never rested on my achievements, on the contrary, I tried, with each new event, to give even more. So as not to be frustrated to miss the last tests…
You have missed few tests!
I am very happy to have missed few things, yes. During the competition, I always showed what I wanted to show, and that is the best reward.
Your consistency has also kindly made a lot of your competitors moan…
(She laughs) It was a great atmosphere throughout the competition. We were like a real family. We were extremely benevolent with each other, and I think that’s mainly what made me have a wonderful adventure.
Is it your penchant for “healty” pastry that appealed to the jury, in your opinion?
It is true that it was a small novelty. But it was varied, I offered “healty” pastries, and others not. They may have seen that I had several facets, they liked it.
Are there any preparations that left you in a cold sweat?
Yes ! There are lots of things in Best pastry chef which I had never done before. Like a chocolate flower, or the work of isomalt. Of course, we learn a lot.
And the cameras, are we forgetting them over time?
At first, it’s a little stressful, then you quickly forget them. We have to give everything so much… The most complicated thing is that we have to constantly talk to the camera to explain what we are preparing. It’s a little unsettling the first few times. But we quickly take the fold.
Did this victory make you want to open your own bakery one day?
Yes, opening my pastry shop is a dream. We’ll see if, one day, I realize it. I imagine it a bit like a tea room, with healthier pastry alternatives, lots of fruit. Something that looks like me. In Montpellier, why not!