"I never cried over my mom's death": Quentin's heartbreaking confessions on "Top Chef"

"And then Jesus arrives!" At the sight of Pierre Gagnaire , Charlie is jubilant, like the four other " Top Chef " candidates – Charles, Esteban, Quentin and Margaux – who have qualified for this new evening of Michelin inspectors.

On the menu: two challenges and a favorite prize to be won. The multi-starred chef will support them for the first, the most personal, the most intimate: "I cook who I am."

Charlie the Norman heads to the seaside with a mackerel smoked with eucalyptus, like the branches and leaves used to light the barbecue on his grandfather's land where he camped as a child. He adds a number of herbs from foraging, an activity he particularly enjoys.

Margaux opts for a fish soup, with a broth made just like her grandmother Paulette, crab juice, candied potatoes, gurnard just passed through the flame of a blowtorch and parsley aioli...

It will be a pigeon for Charles, a traveler like him, who left Fontainebleau for Polynesia and then Cambodia. With the pigeon, he combines morel, coconut, and Kampot pepper. Esteban is thinking of a trout and corn version, in homage to his mother. "Every time I cook, I think of her," he says.

Quentin too, who refers to his mother's death. "I started cooking when I lost my mother. I was 14. It's this profession that helped me rebuild myself, quite simply, it clearly saved me," explains the candidate, facing the camera, who titles his dish "Personal Destruction."

He has never spoken much about this tragedy, "out of modesty," but sees the opportunity to express "this emotion (...) that has remained inside (...) for years." He covers his daikon flower and trout with a red beetroot tile that will have to be broken with a spoon. Like the heart that explodes...

"It's difficult to express unhappiness in a kitchen," says Glenn Viel. "Even difficult for the person tasting," adds Stéphanie Le Quellec. "It's a huge risk... If they want to do it, then they can," continues Viel.

"I've had a life that means I have no choice but to get off my ass every day," the young man continues. "If I'm here, able to smile, it's clearly thanks to all that, it's the surpassing of myself every day."

Backstage, he doesn't know yet, his father is there. He explains his idea to him with emotion and lets a few tears escape... They've never really talked about it... "It's good to talk about it," his father whispers, kissing him hard. "I never cried when my mom died," Quentin confides again. This time, yes. "It's the air conditioning," his father says, a twist tinged with modesty.

Upon tasting, the inspectors were touched by Quentin's story. "You can feel that there are a lot of mixed emotions in this dish," one of them noted. "You'll have passed the message on to your mother, I'm thinking of mine as well, well done," congratulated Glenn Viel.

Touched, but not convinced. They preferred Charlie's "Iodine in Normandy," which received the first red envelope. In their note, the inspectors praised it as "one of the best mackerel we've ever eaten."

Charlie wins the final favorite . It's his turn to repeat the Saint-Honoré, savory or sweet, the theme of the second round supervised by Anne Coruble, Pastry Chef of the Year 2024. "We're going to have to strip the thing down," whispers Paul Pairet. We can count on Quentin, who goes for his forest version with mushrooms. Charlie opts for Jerusalem artichoke, with sweet clover chantilly and miso caramel. "He always has the right approach, Charlie," notes Le Quellec.

Margaux makes superb choux buns and dares to use a whipped white chocolate ganache. Charles isn't feeling "out of it" about the subject, going with butternut squash flavors. He can rest assured, there's more to choux buns than he is. Esteban has never made or eaten a Saint-Honoré. And in terms of presentation, his burnt vanilla and black garlic offering leaves something to be desired. The inspectors note this and regret the imperceptible black garlic. Quentin's interpretation is "successful," while Margaux's would have benefited from being lighter.

Overcooking his puff pastry puts Charles in trouble. As for Charlie, despite undercooking the puffs, he wins again. It's his night! As soon as the plane takes off, "the Concorde!" shouts Paul Pairet, leaving in celebration with his arms outstretched, followed by Charlie and Grandpa Michel...

"That's the hold-up," smiles the candidate who receives his second button, synonymous with the inspectors' crush, from a Paul Pairet on one knee as if for a marriage proposal.

The Norman gets his direct ticket to the final stages, he'll be able to rest a bit. Not Esteban who receives the black envelope, synonymous with the elimination round that we once again find in "The Hidden Brigades", late in the second part of the evening... He joins Philippine and Claudio there. Sweet and salty, that's the theme, which leaves a bitter taste at the first. Fifi stumbles without really failing with her tuna tartare. She's leaving tonight and with her, Hélène Darroze who no longer has a candidate. It's arm in arm that we see them leave the studios...