Top chef season is always a highlight for us and we cant wait to to see what the Top Chef 2022 candidates have in store! It promises to bring a battle of the best!

The line up for 2022 may be top heavy on men but in skill it is balanced. The 15 candidates from a varied range of backgrounds will compete to win the coveted title. 

The competing chef’s include restaurant owners, home cooks, trainees, Michelin trained, some self-taught and one even gained his skills cooking in prison! They vary also in nationality and we can expect some dishes inspired by Benin, Belgium and Portugal.

A key trend emerging this year is the ability to create dishes that are ecologically correct, dietetically balanced yet manage to instill the sense of gourmet!

It is needless to say with this diverse line up that season 13 promises to bring highs and lows, twists and turns and great encounters.

So here is a quick recap of the competitors including their history, current roles and the dishes they are known or want to be known for!

Pascal Barandoni, 21, Cuers (Var) (ELIMINATED EPISODE 16)

• Graduated with a BTS Management in Hospitality-Restaurants at the Anne-Sophie Pic versatile high school in 2021. He then trained with Eric Frechon, Alain Ducasse and most recently Arnaud Lallement
• Pascal is the winner of Objectif Top Chef and his culinary inspiration is ‘’terroir’’.
• Since finishing the show Pascal has started working in Mas du Lingousto with chef Arnaud Bouxirot!

Lucie Berthier Gembara, 32, Rezé (Loire-Atlantique) (ELIMINATED EPISODE 10)

• Lucie trained at the Paul Bocuse Institute and worked for Gérald Passedat at Petit Nice. She then worked with Alexandre Mazzia, who inspires and mentors her
• She now owns her own restaurant, Sépia, which serves bistro cuisine
• Her culinary inspiration is based on local, seasonal  products and plants with a Provençal twist

Elis Bond, 29, Ile-Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) (ELIMINATED EPISODE 5)

• Elis is a self-trained chef and owned a small restaurant called Mi kwabo which is now closed
• He is currently working as an at home chef
• His inspiration comes from fusion cuisine that combines Afro-Caribbean products and cultures

Louise Bourrat, 27, Lisbon (Portugal) (WINNER, TOP CHEF, SEASON 13!)

• Louise has worked at both L’Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle, and Chalet de la Forêt, which are Michelin starred. She was then ‘’chef de partie‘’ at Bar Boulud, a table run by starred chef Daniel Boulud.
• She is currently chef of her own restaurant, BouBou’s, in Lisbon  
• Louise is a crusader for zero waste cuisine and is known for using less popular products (like offal!)

Mickaël Braure, 33, Librecourt (Pas-de-Calais) (ELIMINATED WEEK 14)

• Mickaël originally trained at a hotel school and then in Lille to train at the now closed L’Huitrière. At 21 he secured a role as ‘’chef de partie’’ at the Sébastopol and then became second in command for Chef Marc Meurin
• In 2019 he opened his own restaurant Bistrot Witloof in the Lille countryside where he still resides
• His culinary motto is ‘’Fat is life’’ and his generous & luxurious dishes reflect this

Tania Cadeddu, 29, Paris (ELIMINATED EPISODE 3)

• Born in Sardinia, Tania trained as a ‘’demi-chef de partie’’ for Gordon Ramsay in a Fort Village Resort in Italy. She also spent time working with chefs Sébastien Gravé and Louise Jacob in Pottoka and was ‘’chef de partie’’ at the former Ritz Restaurant, Table de l’Espadon
• For the past 3 years Tania has been working as the chef of Juan Arbelaez’s restaurant Vida in Paris
• Tania’s specialties include Mediterranean and colorful cuisine inspired by her Sardinian origin

Arnaud Delvenne, 36, Xhendremael (Belgium) (RUNNER UP SEASON 13)

• An unconventional method of building his culinary skills by cooking in both fast food restaurants and as a prison chef. Arnaud opened his own restaurant, L’Atelier du Gout and then became head chef of Le Moment (both are now closed)
• Arnaud is now the executive chef of the Van der Valk Hotel Group in the Liège region
• After losing over 50kg in just a few months this chef is inspired by light and healthy cuisine

Logan Depuydt, 35, Falaen (Belgium) (ELIMINATED EPISODE 4)

• Logan was inspired by his mothers brasserie business and followed her footsteps where he trained in a hotel school, in large houses and in various restaurants on the Belgian coast
• Since 2014, Logan has run his own Michelin guide restaurant, l’Artiste in the heart of the Ardennes
• His cuisine is the opposite of his own manly rock’n’roll style but rather refined and feminine as he describes it

Lilian Douchet, 28, Beauvais (Oise) (Left competition week 8 / re-integrated week 10 / ELIMINATED WEEK 13)

• Lilian has experience as ‘’chef de partie’’ at the three-starred restaurant, l’Assiette Champenoise, then at L’Amandier and at Paloma. Following that he became sous-chef at La Truffière and at The Orangery.
• Before the Covid pandemic Lilian decided to open his own restaurant but his plans could not become a reality. He opted to retrain and is now the manager of a large supermarket.
• Lilian takes his inspiration from the worlds great chef’s and recreates signature dishes.
• Following Top Chef Season 13 Lilian has opened an exciting new Parisian restaurant Dame Augustine. The restaurant is situated in the 13^th arrondissement and offers a creative and seasonal menu at affordable prices.

Renaud Ramamourty, 31, Gennevilliers (Hauts-de-Seine) (ELIMINATED EPISODE 2)

• Renaud’s culinary journey includes stints at the well established Laurent Paris and in chef Mathieu Pacaud’s starred Le Cinq establishments. This and the fact that he appeared on Top Chef season 1 might give him an edge for 2022 (APPARENTLY NOT!)!
• He is now executive chef at Petrossian where caviar is celebrated in all its forms 
• Renaud offers light creations inspired by the treasures of the sea

Sébastien Renard, 27, Caudry (North) (ELIMINATED WEEK 17 – 3rd place)

• Sébastien trained in hospitality at Le Touquet before starting his career in Le Meurice with Alain Ducasse as ‘’chef de partie’’, then at the Papillon restaurant with Christophe Saintagne. He then became deputy chef of Marc Meurin when the latter was watching over the Château de Beaulieu
• Since September 2021 Sébastien is chef of the restaurant La Filature in Fourmies (temporarily closed). He hopes to open his own restaurant in Hauts-de-France in the near future
• Sébastien opts for local products from neighboring farms and local producers and is very precise in his plating

Wilfried Romain, 28, Champigny-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne) (ELIMINATED EPISODE 8 / RETURNED EPISODE 9 / ELIMINATED WEEK 12)

• Wilfried began by studying gastronomy in a starred restaurant in Luxembourg and developed his skills across the globe in Australia and numerous locations in South America. Back in the gastronomy capital of the world Wilfred worked with Thierry Marx.
• Wilfried travels and works all over the world and is focused on evolving from sous-chef to chef chef!
• His travels inspire a combination of original and exotic flavors in every dish!
• Since the end of the show Wilfried has undertaken the role of head chef in the restaurant Quartier at Hotel Le Grand Quartier. You can enjoy his world inspired dishes from the comfort of the 10^th arrondissement in Paris.

Thibaut Spiwack, 35, Paris (ELIMINATED EPISODE 9, RETURNED EPISODE 10, ELIMINATED EPISODE 11)

Deciding early to stop his studies and focus on the culinary world he is already a well known face. He holds accolades including: 3^rd Best Apprentice of France in 2006, 1st of the Ventoux Saveur Trophy in 2012 and 1st in the International Trophy of the Disciple of Escoffier in 2013. Through his career he has worked in Le Cinq then as ‘’chef de partie’’ at One O One (now closed). He then joined Jérôme Banctel and Alain Senderens and took the place of sous-chef at the Jules Verne then Head Chef at the Hôtel Particulier Montmartre

Thibault is now based in Paris and runs his own restaurant, Anona, which features in the Michelin Guide. He is also involved in a new establishment called The Starving Club which is located in the 15th arrondissement. It serves street food, with different origins from around the world.

For summer 2022 Thibault is also running Fabula which is a pop up restaurant installed in the gardens of the Carnavalet Museum. In the heart of the 4^th and steeped in splendor this eco responsible restaurant is worth a visit.

Elliot Van de Velde, 32, Brussels (ELIMINATED EPISODE 1)

• This self-taught atypical chef started by organizing events and innovative concepts in Brussels. From that he went on to work in Al Barmaki and Sea Grill (now closed) but quickly decided to go out alone.
• In 2016 set up Little Chef, his own culinary events company. He assists on the external part of several Chefs in Brussels, working with Yves Mattagne, Isabelle Arpin and Charles Kaisin among others.After 2 years and several experiments to question the origin and future of the huge quantities of food brewed in restaurants, Elliott became the zero waste & sustainability ambassador of the Metro group.
• Elliot creates gourmet meals based on unsold food

Ambroise Voreux, 26, Bréhémont (Indre-et-Loire) (ELIMINATED EPISODE 6)

• Ambroise has completed numerous internships in prestigious houses in his short career. Most noteworthy include his time at Prés d’Eugénie by Michel Guérard and with chef Alain Senderens.
• In 2014 he quickly opened his own restaurant Les Pêcheries Ligériennes/La Cabane à Matelot on the banks of the Loire, in association with a fisherman who brings him the catch of the day every day. From here Ambroise creates a menu!
• He is a fan of creative and 100% local cuisine, and, of course, has a passion for working with freshwater fish, especially the little-known Loire species.

Now that you know them we hope you enjoy the weeks to come and the culinary creations we are lucky enough to observe!

If you liked this post and want to get up to date with Top Chef 2023 read our latest post!