In CHEF ACADEMY, world-renowned French gourmand Jean-Christophe Novelli welcomes nine culinarily minded students into his shiny new.
Chef Donneaux (Belgium) comes straight from the industry where he gained a vast amount of experience. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of Namur, Belgium, where he learned the secrets of the classical French cuisine. With over 24 years of professional experience in Belgium, France and the US, Chef Donneaux had the chance to work with some of the most recognized and distinguished names in the culinary industry: World renowned 3 Michelin star Chef Guy Savoy and Chef Thomas Henkelmann. After receiving the practical and theoretical knowledge to lead a fine dining kitchen, Chef Donneaux has held Executive Chef and General Manager positions in upscale establishments, where he was in charge of teams with up to 50 kitchen staff. Besides his background in classical French cooking, he is also very familiar and experienced with the American trends in cuisine. Chef Lorenzo (Spain) holds a Masters Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at San Jorge University.
Throughout the years, Chef Lorenzo gained a vast experience around the world, especially in Pastry. He is well versed in both niche fine dining to large volume banquets with a wide range repertoire of hands-on international cuisine including Classical French and Spanish, European Continental, Mediterranean, and Pastry. Prior to joining HRC Academy, Chef Lorenzo was a lecturer at the Hong Kong Culinary Academy teaching Pastry, Bakery and French Cooking.
Having graduated our culinary academy (HRC Culinary Academy) she has a vast international experience in the hospitality industry since 2013!Victorija has worked in numerous highly regarded kitchens across the globe! So far her journey has brought her back to Sofia where she develops her professional and personal skills at Nikolas0/360, where she is the sous-chef! Together with her team they hold prizes such as 'Best Restaurant' in Bulgaria 2017, Best Signature Cuisine 2017, 2018 and multiple other awards. In 2015 she aces the 1st place for the best Pastry chef in a culinary competition organised by the American Culinary Federation! Victorija is passionate about bold flavors and experimenting in the kitchen!
One of her main strives is to promote women being chefs as she believes that in a male-dominated field, female chefs find the best way to get ahead is to support one another! Chef Viktor started his studies at the HRC Academy after years of professional experience, turning his passion for culinary arts into his career path.
He trained at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, a luxury hotel with Michelin restaurant in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Afterwards he spent a year at the Sea Island Resort Golf and Spa in Georgia, USA. His culinary experience also includes positions in Bulgaria and in the Kempinski group in Germany. Chef Viktor is a well-rounded professional with an additional degree in Marketing and Management and has a proven track record in human resources management, and business operation management.
Chef’s favorites are Artisan bread making. Bulgarian native but by now a citizen of the world.
Chef Victor is one of the early generations of HRC Academy graduates. He gained experience in Amsterdam, Netherlands as well as at the 1.300 room Atlanta Hilton and Towers. Before returning home, Chef Victor worked in leadership roles at luxury hotels in London, most notably at the Four Seasons Trinity Square and the Shangri-La. He always cooks with passion and is a craft food driven chef. Chef’s favorites: getting the most out of our students during their time at our restaurant Talents.
I've grown weary of the cooking shows that are competitions between well known chefs. Really, how many times can you watch Bobby Flay race against a stopwatch to prepare some dishes that will taste better than Mario Battali's creations? Emeril has overstayed his visit to television where he repeats his song and dance over and over, 5 days a week, and Rachael Ray is on the same treadmill. Further, I hope The Worst Cook in America doesn't start a new trend showing us what bad food looks like.there are plenty of worse things to cry about than not knowing how to cook and it appears the contestants are such sad sacks they don't know how to read, let alone understand, a simple recipe.
To make matters worse, instead of learning some basics, they are taught to prepare a sophisticated dish with expensive ingredients that they likely will not make ever again. There's a reason why TV networks don't broadcast Little League or biddy basketball games - we'd rather watch things being done well by the pros. Thankfully, Chef Academy is a departure from the droning competition shows and is a more realistic teaching experience. While it's obvious the 'students' may never reach the upper echelons of running a 5-star restaurant kitchen or may never work as a professional cook, they do have some cooking skills that they want to hone and they have an appreciation for good food well prepared.
The real treat is Chef Novelli, who gives us a fly-on-the-wall peek at what true culinary training is like. Serious chefs like Novelli take pride and glory in the perfectly cooked lamb chop or the complexity of flavors blended into a silky sauce. A great chef's greatest pleasure is giving diners a memorable meal and it's interesting to watch Novelli try to instill the joy of cooking in his students while teaching them the mechanics. Unlike Gordon Ramsay, Novelli can be caustically critical without ranting 4-letter words and he has an energy that is palpable on-screen. He also has that off-beat French sense of humor that sometimes leaves the American viewer bewildered but, nonetheless, entertained.
All in all, Chef Academy and Novelli are a fresh take on the cooking show format, a format that is in danger of growing stale.