Romain, 27, left the adventure of Best pastry chef 2024 halfway through. The week dedicated to trompe-l'oeil – which notably saw the return of Thibaut Lefils, a candidate in a relationship with Emily met on the set last year – gave the Normand a cold sweat, who was not at all at comfortable with exercise. Despite his elimination after seven weeks of competitionthe bakery manager who lives in Caen retains a lot of positives from this experience which allowed him to meet “friends for life”. Confessions.
Romain leaves The Best Pastry Chef 2024 after seven weeks of competition: “I forgot I applied”
Tele-Leisure : When did you start baking?
Romain : I always made basic cakes with my mother when I was younger. Pastry happened when I got my apartment, my kitchen, three or four years ago. I started with macarons because, for me, if I got them right, I could do anything. The passion for baking came with my job too. For ten years, I have worked in a bakery but in sales. Little by little, I trained and I enjoy it because I'm super greedy.
You completed a degree in history at the University of Caen, before retraining and working full-time in a bakery…
Absolutely. At 18, I left my parents to go to Caen and do a history degree, which I obtained. Afterwards, I went to Paris for a master's degree in art history because I was dedicated to teaching and in fact, I didn't like it because it wasn't my thing to lock myself away in a library to read books. I needed contact with people, sharing. These are values that I find with pastry
Why did you want to register for Best pastry chef?
It was my friends who challenged me, they told me “don't even bother doing it” so I applied at the start of the year. I was called back several months later, I had forgotten that I had applied elsewhere! As the discussions with the caster progressed, I said to myself why no, I didn't want to regret it.
Romain (The Best Pastry Chef 2024) : “I didn’t expect to stay until halfway through the competition”
You had difficulty on several technical tests… Did you know that this would be your weak point?
Yes because I'm clearly not the guy to follow a recipe from A to Z, down to the gram, I do it by feeling. I'm an instinctive person, I bake with my heart and not my brain. I knew it wouldn't be my strong point.
Is trompe l'oeil a theme that you dreaded?
Obviously, I suspected that this theme was going to happen, it's been trending for several years. It's really not a subject that excites me, I hate pretending. When I bake, we know what's in it. I knew it was a theme that could put me in danger. I have the impression that it's focusing on the visual rather than on taste and indulgence. I couldn't have done better, I'm off to some great achievements even if I'm last in the technical test. The creative test, I'm still super happy to have done it. But I didn't expect to stay until halfway through the competition, I'm super proud of my journey. There were only seven of us left, every detail counts.
Which candidates have you created the most connections with?
An adventure like this inevitably brings people together. For me, they are friends for life no matter what. Obviously, there are some with whom I have more affinity than others. There is Benjamin, Timothée, Tsiory, Christelle, Jennifer, Céline… We stay in touch a lot, we talk every day.
Which candidate amazed you the most?
It's Christelle because she arrived in the competition very light, without putting pressure on herself, saying “I make pound cakes at home, I’ve never made desserts.” But every time she brought out a cake, I wondered how she did it. She has such artistic flair that she creates visually fabulous cakes for us, and in taste, she has a very fine palate.. Obviously, there is also Timothée who bluffs everyone, he is 16 years old and we wonder how it is possible to have this level. The audacity of this kid is that he has crazy talent but above all he takes risks all the time. He has this innocence that we no longer have. Sometimes it doesn't work at all and sometimes it works, and that's what chef Étienne Leroy was looking for.
Romain eliminated from Best pastry chef 2024 : “IThere is not a single moment when I am concentrated in an event“
You, who are always at your best, were you able to concentrate during the tests?
It's difficult for me to concentrate, it's a big fault that I have. I can't be in my bubble, I do everything and anything. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't work for me, but that's how I am. In seven weeks of competition, there is not a single moment when I am concentrated in an event. The outside animates me, I need constant noise. When I saw my comrades who didn't say much, I said to myself “It’s not possible, I need that atmosphere.” I'm not pretending, I'm like this every day. I'm still going all out.
Some Internet users have criticized you for shouting too much in the show, what is your response to that? Does this affect you?
I understood one thing while being on TV, people think that we share everything and that they can say anything and everything. People who say I shout too much, I've seen some bad news, let them say so. I was told that I was doing too much, that I wasn't in a reality show, yes ok, but that's how I am, I'm not going to play a role. I'm sometimes excessive, camera or no camera.
How did it feel to face Jennifer in Who will return to the tent?
It made me extremely happy, I hoped to find myself face to face with Jennifer because she was one of my favorites of the adventure. I took this duel very lightly, because for me, I have already been eliminated, there is no second chance in my lifeI am very categorical on this. I don't believe in this concept of second chances. But facing Jennifer, I knew I was going to laugh a lot. There are only two of us competing against each other and it's very different from the big tent, we live in a separate moment. I was like, “Who cares who wins, I'll be very happy“. I hope she will continue her good momentum.
Do you have any plans for the future?
Yes, I have dreams: pass my pastry CAP, open a tea room, share my recipes, do workshops with people. But for now, I'm continuing with what I do on a daily basis and at the same time, I'm filming my recipes on Instagram, but I'm not taking the time. Now I think that I can't live without baking. Before, I made a cake every three months, now it's every week. It's my dose of comfort during the week. My day off I spend baking.
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