2023-05-04 00:49:21
He did not miss his exit! True to form, it was with a smile and sparkling eyes that Jean Covillault, the 26-year-old Auvergne candidate, welcomed his elimination during the 10th episode of “Top Chef”, broadcast this Wednesday evening on M6. King of the slightly borderline pun, the banana always screwed to his lips, assuming a slightly old-fashioned side and overflowing with enthusiasm, the cook trained at the Paul-Bocuse Institute, had established himself as one of the most endearing of this 14th season.
With simplicity, “Jeanjean”, as he is nicknamed, comes back with us on his “incredible” journey and his projects.
You really feel no disappointment?
JEAN COVILLAULT. Honestly, no. I am so proud of my journey. When I look back on everything I’ve been through, it’s impossible to be disappointed. It was amazing. Maybe also that victory was not so close to my heart. I lived things in the present, without projecting myself too much. I did not say to myself: “I absolutely want to go to the end”…
What was your ambition then?
I didn’t want to come out first, but that’s it. I saw myself outside after the 2nd or 3rd episode. I honestly didn’t think I would go that far. I have only very good memories…
Exactly, what is your best memory?
My trompe l’oeil coffee cup (during episode 2). Frankly, she looked like nothing. I thought I was last, but pastry chef Nina Métayer gives me her favourite. It was a heist. And the first launch of chef Paul Pairet’s “plane”…
How did you react when Hélène Darroze called you to participate in “the Hidden Brigade”?
It was a bit of a weird moment. We leave the competition and a week later, we’ll call you back… I think I had already turned the page, I wasn’t expecting anything more from the competition. So, I didn’t go there with my hands in my pockets, but quite calm…
Do you think Danny, who beat you, will go all the way?
He is very strong and he manages to marry these two passions, cooking and rap. But all the “Top Chef” candidates are excellent, there is not one that I consider less good than another. That’s why everyone has a chance… and you shouldn’t miss a test.
In this episode, Danny calls you “old in the skin of a young person”. Is that a good definition?
Absolutely ! I have old people’s passions: slippers and golf. I’m always in slippers because my grandmother and my mother were always shouting at home for me to put them on. Golf is really a sport that I love, a real school of life, a discipline that is too little known. I’m quite addicted. I totally assume my “old-fashioned” side: I believe that the elders have a lot to teach us.
Where does your almost permanent good humor come from?
Of my simplicity of mind (laughs)… I think I’m content with all the little pleasures in life. It takes very little for me to be happy and I only see the good side of things. For example, if the subway arrives right when I get off the platform, it gives me a banana. Like the rotten puns in the names of hair salons…
Are you still in contact with the other candidates?
Yes all the time ! I think I was really lucky to experience a season where there was really goodwill between the candidates. We were not at all in an unhealthy competition. We laughed a lot. It has become a small family. We call each other, we see each other regularly, even with those who left first. We spend a lot of time with Mathieu on the phone telling each other stupid jokes… I made 15 new friends and for me, that’s also the real success of my time on this show.
You are one of the most valued candidates. Does it make you happy?
I don’t quite realize. But it’s true that I only receive nice messages on the networks, that people are super cool, that those I meet always have a big smile. It’s probably luck because I know that Albane, for example, sometimes experiences less pleasant things… But I remain lucid and I think of this sentence: “It’s not because people are interested in you that you are necessarily interesting”.
What did “Top Chef” bring you?
Ten thousand more followers (laughs) ! For me, it’s first of all incredible encounters, with the other candidates, with the chefs, the affinities that have been created… Professionally, it’s true that it saves years of work. But it also exposes to criticism, which will happen quickly. Now is when the marathon really begins.
Do you have plans ?
I will be in residence in mid-May in Paris. You will know more quickly… I intend to multiply the events all over France in the months to come. But I don’t have a specific long-term plan.
No desire for a restaurant of your own?
No not right now. If I open a restaurant, it will be to really be there. And there, I want to take advantage of the wave to set up lots of projects.
Do you have a dream?
I have only one: to be a happy man. I believe there is nothing impossible in life. So, it may be in the kitchen, but I can also discover a passion for sailing… I let myself be carried away.
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