Carême stars trained under 'tough' gourmet chef for two months to perfect 'intimate' drama

Daily Mirror

29-04-2025

Apple TV+ is back with a bang as they're set to drop a new period drama series later this week
The stars of Carême underwent a rigorous two-month culinary training to prepare for Apple TV+'s new gripping gastro drama.
Set in 19th Century Paris, French actor Benjamin Voisin portrays Antonin Carême, a rebellious cooking prodigy who finds himself cooking for Napoleon Bonaparte (played by Frank Molinaro).
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Once he steps into the opulent kitchen of Tuileries Palace, he forms an alliance with accomplished chef Agathe (Alice Da Luz) and quickly carves out a reputation for himself, becoming one of the world's first celebrity chefs due to his unruly approach to cooking.
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In a chat with Express Online, when asked about the most challenging part of the series, Voisin admitted: "For me it was cooking!
"I spent two months in a school of cuisine, the Ferrandi School, it's a hospitality school where you learn about all the trades", reports the Express.
Voisin and Da Luz not only had to master the art of cooking, but they also trained under one of the school's top chefs to learn how to manage a bustling and noisy kitchen.
"I worked separately with a chef and he introduced me to his team," the actor added.
"I was able to learn the body language, all the antics of cooking and then I could see how he ran his team, sometimes with an iron fist, but also sometimes very benevolent.
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"That was really exciting. That's what I really had to learn and re-train and see Carême's legacy through this 60-year-old chef, and see that Carême himself, throughout the series, learns to become a chef himself and learns how to go from A to B."
Voisin didn't embark on his culinary adventure solo; Da Luz was right there with him, honing her kitchen prowess to match - and even outshine - her esteemed partner.
"It was really incredible to spend so much time in such prestigious kitchens," she enthused.
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"We would go very early in the morning, take lessons, and then we would go back in the evening and serve dishes with the students who were studying in Ferrandi."
During those two months, Da Luz insisted, "there was no difference between us and the students", as they underwent training just as rigorous as that of Ferrandi's aspiring restaurateurs.
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"We were just like any other student in that school, we had to do things seriously," she asserted.
Da Luz also shed light on the importance of mastering more than just ingredient prep and cooking, emphasising skills like kitchen communication and ensuring each station runs without a hitch.
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"What was interesting was also to be able to actually work on this choreography," she continued.
"This dance that goes on in the kitchen when everything is a rush and this is something we tried to work on with Benjamin.
"We had to work on non-verbal communication, how to manage stress in a kitchen and all these unsaid, untold messages. [It was] very intimate."
For all you food lovers and history enthusiasts out there - don't miss out on Carême this streaming season.