Eure. Former journalist turned culinary chef, Marie cooks for cinema and TV

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“I’m very busy, I have to create 80 oysters this week”, that’s how Marie Chemorin responded to my call, after my request for an interview for his participation in the Local Taste Festival, offered in the Bernay region (Eure).

A unusual response which made me smile. It is true that Marie Chemorin is often called upon, whether for the creation of food for films, unusual meals or even exhibitions.

“As a child, I was anorexic”

His job as chef and culinary scenographer has not been obvious to the adopted Bernayenne since 2020. “As a child, I was anorexic », indicates the native Lyonnaise, from a large family.

“In Lyon, we have a very special relationship with cuisine. The city is at the crossroads of many regions where the products are extremely goodunderlines the chef who has written several cookbooks. The Lyonnais cook all the time. »

Archaeologist and journalist

“I am a cook, a little by mistake », declares Marie Chemorin. Originally, the latter had passed its doctorate in ethnoarchaeology. “When I completed my thesis, I didn’t want to enter the CNRS [N.D.L.R. : Centre national de la recherche scientifique] and doing the same thing all the time,” she recalls.

Loving the report, the scientist becomes a journalist. “I went far and everywhere, I worked in Colombia and I loved it,” she smiles. She remained an ethnoarchaeology reporter for ten years for the magazine GEO and Libération.

When we were reporting, it was great, but when we came home it was a basket of crabs.

A complete career change

After being journalist and writer“I felt like I had to change. One morning, when I woke up, I said to myself “I’m going to pass my CAP in cooking”, says Marie Chemorin. She then had almost 40 yearsmany people around him thought it was a “joke”.

Passing the CAP was “super hard” for the trained archaeologist. “ I was nothing anymoreno one for a year. It was extremely strange, I was starting from scratch,” insists the chef.

The end of his course is also bitter with complicated learning. “It’s an extremely harsh and violent with women. At the restaurant, it was hell,” she denounces.

As soon as she obtained her certificate in 2001, Marie Chemorin decided to start her own business, “working in restaurants was not made for me”.

Films, series…

As soon as his culinary business opened, projects with cinema began. “I was a journalist for the magazine Positif [N.D.L.R. : centré sur le cinéma]I knew quite a few people from the cinema,” announces Marie Chemorin.

Culinary scenographer, she created buffets, real or fakefor series and films. Producers essentially ask for menus of XVI^e and 17^e century at Bernayenne and his small team.

I often have carte blanche in my creations.

Among the list we find Versaillesa Franco-Belgian series created by Canal+ and broadcast between 2015 and 2018. Since 2020, she has produced meals for seasons 1 and 2 of The Serpent Queen (American series broadcast since 2022), centered on Catherine de Medici.

“It was a huge buffet, I think one food stylist can’t ask for better. In addition, it was the most important scene of the series, because it was at the same time the wedding of Queen Margot and the Saint Barthélemy. The Catholics killed the Protestants during the meal,” she explains.

When the health crisis passed “it was madness”. Marie Chemorin has a series of projects, with the Franco-American series Franklinwhose main actor is Michael Douglas. “It was six months of work, it was absolutely brilliant,” recalls the chef.

They love my jellies because they take the light very well.

Recently, she made a “ Chinese meal gastronomic”, for the film Emmanuellecurrently in theaters. Currently, she is preparing creations, including the 80 oysters, for the future American series.

“We have to make a huge fake cake marriage,” she announces. For the fake oystersthe longest, “these are the tests and the drying”, because the team must find the materials which will come closest to the original appearance.

…Weddings and other events

In addition to being a culinary scenographer, the fifty-year-old organizes special buffets during events, at major fashion designers for example, such as Louboutin or Hermès.

“I imagined a meal for 250 people in Zurich. I got there and noticed that they were only eating sausages and rustis (mashed potatoes), I wasn’t interested so I made them a vegetarian meal with seven small dishes that tell the story of Swiss nature,” describes Marie Chemorin.

On the table were, in petri dishesrepresentations of glaciers, forests and even lakes. “It was fabulous and very colorful,” she smiles.

Another challenge: weddings and birthdays. These were very special events. “I asked the bride and groom to tell their story, their journey or the possible surprises to someone. From all of this I create a unique universe,” she describes.

The chef ensured that the events were as close as possible to the customers, both in taste and in the decoration.

In the future, she would like working with castles or monuments of the territory, for example for decorate kitchens with fake food.

Discover several of his creations in this slideshow:

The cooking and shared meal workshop “Marie’s poetic and anti-waste cuisine” will take place on Tuesday October 8 at the Le Cellier gîte, route de Beaumesnil, La Verrerie, in Beaumont le Roger, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Workshop for adults, €39. Reservations at the tourist office: 02 32 44 05 79 The screening of the film The passion of Dodin Bouffant and the discussion time with Marie Chemorin will take place at the Bernay cinema on Thursday October 10 at 8 p.m. Price: from €6 to €9 and €5 for children under 5 years old. Film for all audiences. Possibility of online reservation. Find Marie Chemorin’s creations on her site: www.mariechemorin.com

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