the essential
Michel Sarran is once again a juror in the show “La Meilleure Boulangerie de France”, on M6. The Toulouse star chef, who became famous with Top Chef, continues to multiply projects between cooking, television and various collaborations. Interview.
La Dépêche du Midi: You have just started a new season of the show “La Meilleure Boulangerie de France”. What made you want to continue this adventure?
Michel Sarran: Last year, I joined the show partway through. It was a total discovery for me, both the concept and the atmosphere of the shoot. I appreciated the good-natured and caring side, very different from the competitive spirit that I experienced with Top Chef. And then, I learned a lot about baking, a very technical profession that I didn’t know in depth. With Bruno Cormerais, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, I discover more every day. Finally, the show allows me to travel across France, even if I only stay there very briefly. It’s pleasant without encroaching too much on my professional life, because I only shoot on Saturdays.
How does this experience compare to your seven years on Top Chef?
The difference is major. Top Chef was two and a half months of intensive filming, far from home, with broadcasting over 25 weeks. With La Meilleure Boulangerie, my participation is concentrated on one day per week. This lighter pace allows me to stay involved in my restaurant and my other activities. This was an essential condition for acceptance.
How do you manage your schedule?
My organization is precise. I devote the beginning of the week to my restaurant, then I go filming at the end of the week. On Monday and Wednesday, I take care of my other activities, such as consulting, which had to be restarted after the difficult Covid period.
You have developed a taste for the screen over the years. What does this media visibility bring you?
Honestly, I never imagined doing television. It all started with a show on France Télévisions, “Cuisine Sauvage”, where I had to cook in the great outdoors with ingredients harvested on site. This opened doors for me, first at TF1, then at M6 with Top Chef. This show changed my life, giving me notoriety that I would never have suspected. I also tried the experience in TV series, like “Here it all begins” or “Léo Mattéi”. Playing myself has been fun, but it’s not my job. Television brings salt into my life. It’s the best cosmetic surgery!
How is your restaurant doing today?
It works well, we are full every lunchtime, even if the economic context is complicated. Customer habits have changed, especially in the evening. This reflects current tensions, but we remain efficient thanks to constant teamwork. Regaining a second Michelin star is not a priority. My goal is to continue to welcome customers, please them and innovate in the kitchen. This is my true passion: inventing dishes, like my latest creation based on truffles in homage to Pierre Soulages.
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What are your current collaborations?
I have signed several partnerships, such as with the Partouche group to develop a snacking offer in their casinos, or with the Dallard automobile group. I am an ambassador for Serge Blanco. I continue to work with the Elior catering group, for which I collaborate on the Airbus dining room. I am still associated with Ma Biche sur le Toit (the restaurant on the top floor of Galeries Layayette, editor’s note). These collaborations are financially essential. I am in great demand, I choose projects that speak to me because they enrich me.
How do you view the Toulouse gastronomic landscape?
Toulouse restaurants have evolved a lot. There is a real search for quality, even in small addresses. We are lucky to be in a region which is a real treasure for local products, whether truffles, foie gras or meats from Aveyron. And we are lucky to have exceptional craftsmen.
What dreams do you still have to accomplish?
I never imagined I would fly a plane or run the New York marathon, and yet I did it! I would love to take part in an adventure TV show, like “Rendez-vous en terre stranger” for example. But not “The Island: Celebrities”, it’s too hard (laughs), they’re really in survival mode. Life is not a long, quiet river, but it is full of surprises! I went through difficult times. But I remain open to what life has in store for me and when I see everything I have had the opportunity to experience, I say to myself: how lucky I am!
