While the 17th season of Top Chef is broadcast from this March 4th on M6, with its lot of new features, the show has given birth to big names in French cuisine, having evolved in diverse spheres, from gastronomy to entrepreneurship by way of the media and more accessible projects. Non-exhaustive list in view of the many talents revealed by the culinary competition!
Stéphanie Le Quellec
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After training at major restaurants (including Le Cinq at the George V) before becoming known by winning season 2 of Top Chef in 2011, Stéphanie Le Quellec took over as manager of the restaurant La Scène au Prince de Galles in Paris, where she obtained her first Michelin star in 2014 and a second in 2019. In 2019, she leaves this table to open her own address, still named La Scène avenue Matignon, which quickly wins two stars in 2020. At the same time, she is developing more accessible addresses such as the caterer MAM and Vive, dedicated to seafood products, opened with her husband. On the small screen, she has returned to culinary shows, notably as a chef de brigade and Top Chef jury since 2024.
Mory Sacko
Mory Sacko made a name for himself in 2020 by participating in season 11 of Top Chef, where his bold style and African and Asian influences left their mark on viewers. After the show, the French chef of Malian and Senegalese origin opens his restaurant MoSuke in Paris, awarded a Michelin star in 2022. He multiplies TV appearances, notably in Cuisine ouverte on France 3 and special shows Top Chef, and publishes books, defending a modern, creative and mixed cuisine, centered on fresh products and innovative flavors.
Louise Bourrat
Louise Bourrat grew up between France and Portugal, where she became passionate about cooking as a teenager and trained in hospitality before working in several large kitchens in France, Brussels and London. She then settled in Lisbon, where she took over the management of the family restaurant Boubou’s, which she co-manages with her brother. In 2022, she participated in season 13 of Top Chef on M6 and won the contest, becoming the third woman to achieve this title in the history of the show. After her victory, Louise Bourrat expanded her activities: she collaborated with major Maisons in Paris, notably via a pop-up restaurant at Ladurée in 2023, and developed gastronomic projects around Lisbon. Today, she continues to run Boubou’s in Lisbon and a street food brand (Boubou’s Sandwich Club).
Norbert Tarayre
Norbert Tarayre, revealed to the general public in 2012 thanks to Top Chef (season 3), marked the spirits by his energy and his outspokenness. After the show, he opened several pop-up restaurants and collaborated with establishments like Saperlipopette or Macaille, both in the Parisian suburbs. Host and juror in shows like Norbert, commis d’office and Le Meilleur Pâtissier, which consolidate his popularity and strengthen his accessible side, he also publishes several books. In 2023, he takes the helm of restaurant & bar 19.20 at the Prince de Galles in Paris, embodying a concrete return to the kitchen in a Palace. The chef offers a bistronomic cuisine that revisits French classics while remaining faithful to his direct and convivial style.
David Gallienne
David Gallienne, originally from Le Mans and raised in Normandy, began his career at a very young age in local houses before training with starred chefs. In 2020, he wins season 11 of Top Chef (France), a stepping stone for his career,. The chef takes over the management of the Jardin des Plumes in Giverny and obtains a star. At the same time, he develops several side projects: the restaurant Oscar at the Musée des Impressionnismes, the concept Ô Plum’ART and Ô Plum’Store.
Chloé Charles
Chloé Charles trained at the Ferrandi school before entering apprenticeship in several major French kitchens (L’Épi Dupin, Lasserre, L’Astrance, Maison Pic). The cook then joins renowned restaurants and chooses to become an independent chef, before participating in season 12 of Top Chef in 2021. She continues to offer her private services and signs ephemeral projects. The following year, she created Lago, a private restaurant in Paris that catered for groups of 10 to 50 people while maintaining its approach to committed cuisine.
Camille Delcroix
Camille Delcroix grew up surrounded by the smells of the butcher shop run by her parents, where her passion for cooking was born. After his hotel training, he began working in 2009 at the restaurant Le Musigny in Valenciennes, then joined the team of the Château de Beaulieu in Busnes. After winning Top Chef season 9 in 2018, he participates in spin-off shows like Objectif Top Chef, publishes a first cookbook in 2019, and is involved in various projects. In 2021, he opens the Bacôve, his first restaurant in Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais) with his partner. Three years later, the table gets a Michelin star.
Mohamed Cheikh
Mohamed Cheikh discovers his culinary vocation very early with his grandmother. He trained at the Montaleau hotel high school in Sucy-en-Brie before entering prestigious kitchens. In 2021, he won season 12 of Top Chef, then opened several ephemeral restaurants such as Manzili at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris and a residence at La Pagode de Cos, before unveiling his book Ma Cuisine méditerranéenne in 2022. Two years later, the chef opens Meïda, his Mediterranean brasserie in Saint-Ouen before adding other concepts: Chik’Chill, a fried chicken restaurant in Créteil and Meatpack, a steakhouse in Rosny-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), opened in 2025, always with the ambition to offer quality cuisine beyond Paris borders.
Pierre Sang
Born in Seoul and adopted at a very young age by a French family, Pierre Sang Boye trained in cooking as a teenager before gaining experience in restaurants in France and London. He rose to prominence in 2011 as a finalist of Top Chef. The following year, he opens his first restaurant, Pierre Sang in Oberkampf in the 11th district of Paris, followed in 2014 by Pierre Sang on Gambey and then in 2017 by Pierre Sang Signature, all focused on a creative cuisine with French and Korean influences. He also develops side projects such as Pierre Sang Express, a takeaway and fast food format, and collaborations in places like the Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet.
Naoëlle d’Hainaut
Naoëlle d’Hainaut is initially destined for interior decoration before moving towards cooking on the advice of a teacher. She trained in hospitality and then cut her teeth in traditional establishments of the Oise region before joining the brigade of the restaurant Épicure at the Hotel Le Bristol in Paris, where she stayed for ten years with chef Éric Frechon. In 2013, she won season 4 of Top Chef. After this victory, she accepts a position as chef in the gourmet restaurant of the Vente-Privée platform to refine her own culinary identity. In 2017, with her sommelier husband Matthieu d’Hainaut, she inaugurated L’Or Q’Idée at Pontoise (Val-d’Oise), her own gastronomic table that won two stars less than two years after its opening. A wine and tapas cellar is now adjacent to its establishment.
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Featured photo : Mory Sacko @DR
