Philippe Etchebest
Philippe Etchebest | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1966 Bordeaux, France |
| Occupation(s) | Chef, television personality |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | Host of Cauchemar en cuisine, judge on Top Chef (France) |
Philippe Etchebest (born 2 December 1966) is a distinguished French chef who has earned two Michelin stars while working at the Hostellerie de Plaisance located in Saint-Émilion, France. He gained widespread recognition through his roles on television programs such as Top Chef, Objectif Top Chef, and Cauchemar en cuisine, which is the French adaptation of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
Career
Raised in Bordeaux within a family-run restaurant owned by his father, Etchebest initially engaged in sports like rugby and judo before deciding at age fifteen to pursue a career in culinary arts. He received formal training at the Talence Bordeaux culinary institute. By the age of 22, he held the position of second chef de cuisine at Paris's Clos Longchamps. In 1992, he transitioned to Jardins de l'Opéra in Toulouse. Subsequently, he served as head chef at Château Grand Barrail for five years, during which he was honored with the prestigious title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2000.
Etchebest earned his first Michelin star in 2001 while at Château des Reynats. Two years later, in 2003, he joined the team at Hostellerie de Plaisance in Saint-Emilion, where he maintained the establishment’s Michelin star and succeeded in obtaining a second star by 2008.
Beginning in 2011, Etchebest took on the role of host for Cauchemar en cuisine on the French channel M6, a program modeled after Kitchen Nightmares. He opts to receive minimal background details about the restaurants featured to ensure genuine responses during filming. Since 2015, he has also been a judge on M6’s version of Top Chef.
Personal life
Etchebest is married to Dominique and together they have an adopted son named Louis Oscar.