TV PROGRAM | M6 | 9:10 p.m. The filming of Nightmare in the Kitchen, with Philippe Etchebest as the whipping father, really turned into a nightmare for Stéphanie and Julien Warzee, a couple of restaurateurs from Drôme…
A new number of Nightmare in the kitchen was scheduled for Wednesday January 15, 2025, on M6. This time, starred chef Philippe Etchebest came to the aid of Stéphanie and Julien Warzee, a couple of restaurateurs in great difficulty at the head of the restaurant “Chez Steph et Ju”, located on Place des Rencontres in Bourg-lès-Valence, in the Drome.
According to M6, the couple’s distress was such that it affected their family life and the well-being of their children. On site, Philippe Etchebest will quickly notice significant malfunctions, in particular glaring hygiene problems. “The equipment must be maintained!”, we can hear the chef shouting in the trailer for this issue of Nightmare in the kitchenwhich still promises great oats during an evening of entertainment of which only the 6 has the secret.
Filming interrupted by Philippe Etchebest
Inexperienced in the profession, Stéphanie and Julien, who had taken over the establishment a few months earlier, will multiply the blunders in the kitchen and in the dining room, to the point of making the famous chef give up. A catastrophic filming, which took place last July and which pushed Philippe Etchebest to make an extremely rare decision: to stop the cameras in a hurry before the start of the second shift, reveals the Coulisses TV site.
Despite the difficulties encountered, the starred chef did everything to help the couple get their heads above water and turn around their restaurant. The passage of Nightmare in the kitchen and Philippe Etchebest had even given hope to the managers. “New decor, new 100% homemade cuisine, new adventure,” they wrote on social networks, full of optimism for the future during the summer.
Unfortunately, that was not enough. A few months after the filming of Nightmare in the kitchen, the ship continued to sink. According to Le Dauphiné Libéré, the establishment “Chez Steph et Ju” has since permanently closed its doors. A bitter failure for the Warzee couple despite the valuable advice provided by the most famous and strongest chef of the PAF.
Steph and Ju traumatized by Nightmare in the kitchen
Invited to react on France Bleu Drôme Ardèche, Julien Warzee has no regrets, even if he admits that he will not watch the show with his partner, a viewing which would still be too painful. “We are not yet ready to see it,” he regrets, even if he has no grievance against Etchebest and M6. “They supported us, it didn’t work, that’s how it is,” he confides, blaming his inexperience and health problems. The production supported them during and after the show. As for Philippe Etchebest, “crude apple but a love” according to Julien.
Today, Julien is looking for a job, but in another field, preferring to “leave catering to the professionals”. His wife Stéphanie has already moved on. And the couple lost money in the affair. An unfortunately not isolated case according to Sébastien Buffet, president of the catering branch at UMIH 26, still on France Bleu. “We see a lot of self-taught people, but many who close down, and that’s not necessarily good for the profession,” he laments. According to the Romans-sur-Isère commercial court, the number of restaurants placed in compulsory liquidation has also increased in 2024, under the notable effect of inflation.
