Translated by Bethszabee Garner

“A splash of passion fruit, please!” Raphaël Rego asks his kitchen team as he finishes dressing his dish of steamed turbot sprinkled with caviar. On the back shelves, numerous Brazilian products are displayed in large jars, a sign that a fusion cuisine is being prepared for the day's menu. The chef has even made it his signature: at Oka, a restaurant located in the Latin Quarter of Paris, everything is done to showcase - “in the French style” - ingredients from his country of origin, Brazil. One year after the opening of his restaurant in 2018, Raphaël Rego was awarded a Michelin star and since then, his restaurant has been very busy. While social media also allows him to block reservations two weeks in advance, there is no question of using Instagram to “fake it”. “I could rely solely on beauty, but I don't care about the likes, I want above all to highlight authenticity and taste,” he confirms.

For his part, Charles Coulombeau, chef of the Nancéien restaurant la Maison dans le Parc, believes that we must not forget that “people devour our dishes with their eyes before eating them with their mouths”. “We are influenced, without realizing it,” he says, “and frequently, a new wave of visual styles imposes itself.”

Three months ago, the young star noticed that one of his posts was generating more enthusiasm than usual: a close-up shot of a beetroot dish. He imagines that Instagram's algorithm tends to value bright colors. “The older generation of chefs made delicious food that wasn't necessarily ‘instagrammable,’” he explains. “But I don't like that term because a chef isn't just there to put food together.”

A more intense exposure to popular criticism

Most chefs seem to agree that the goal is not to spend twenty minutes arranging a perfect plate. Because, in real life, none of them take that long to serve a dish. Even if it means neglecting small style flaws... “On Instagram, I sometimes get comments on the cleanliness of my apron, or during our live shows, remarks about my daughter who once dipped her fingers in the chocolate mousse we were preparing together,” says Raphaëlle Rego. That's also the reality of the job: I get home every night at 1 a.m., get up at 6 a.m., take my children to school and go straight to the kitchen. I simply can't be fresh every day!”

As gastronomy is an art that requires a great deal of rigor and energy, exemplary cooking does not necessarily fit into all Instagram codes. “At first, I was rather against creating an Instagram account,” admits Enrique Casarrubias, starred chef of the Parisian restaurant Oxte. But today, everyone has their nose glued to a smartphone and more and more customers are asking us if we are present on social networks.” Today followed by more than 7,000 people on Instagram, Enrique Casarrubias remains wary. “One day, a customer arrived very late and I decided not to come to the room to meet him,” he says. ”He then posted a comment on the Internet, I replied directly, and I was flooded with all kinds of criticism. Of course, it's easier to hide behind a screen!”

On the web, the weight of criticism is magnified and chefs sometimes have to face unprecedented experiences. For example, some customers asked Raphaël Rego for feijoada (a typical Brazilian dish) even though the restaurant is not Brazilian; others criticized Enrique Casarrubias for not offering scallops in the middle of July (off-season); and finally, customers in the dining room sometimes take too long to take a photo of their dish before eating it. As a result, 20 minutes later, the temperature is no longer ideal.

At the Chantoiseau restaurant in the north of Paris, influencers are not part of the usual clientele. “Surely because having to walk to the foothills of the Butte Montmartre must discourage more than one!”, jokes Julien Durand, the establishment's chef. I sometimes spot some of them in the dining room and so I give instructions in the kitchen to pay attention to the aesthetics of our dishes, he adds. But that's it, we don't go any further in our relationship with influencers."

This year, during the Michelin Star ceremony, a table was specially set for a dozen influencers. A detail that is far from insignificant, according to Julien Durand, but it does not necessarily mean a profound transformation of the world of gastronomy.

A very time-consuming image management

Almost 25 million companies worldwide use Instagram for professional purposes, and 80% of them post at least one photo or video per week. While gastronomy is not the most concerned by these practices, influencer marketing continues to become more widespread. “Having a good Instagram account seems to be a must,” says Justine Piluso, a chef who rose to fame in the 2020 edition of Top Chef, the cult culinary competition on the M6 channel. After studying at the Institut Bocuse, she opened her own restaurant, the Cappiello, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Her husband, Camille Revel, who was in charge of the front of house, entered her for Top Chef and then helped her manage her Instagram account. Justine Piluso believes that Instagram is the best way to connect with her audience, share her adventures, do live streams and respond to comments and messages.

Mobilizing one's family circle for the purposes of managing notoriety is quite common, especially since not everyone has the time or the inclination to take care of it.

“Pierre is not interested in social networks at all, he hates having to be on his phone,” shares Fanny Augé, wife of the winner of the 2014 edition of Top Chef. I know my husband inside out; we've been together for twenty-five years and I take care of posting content for him every day.” During the filming of the program, Fanny Augé anticipated and decided to employ a professional photographer - who is still part of their team today. “Today, whether it's a florist, a grocery store or a shoe salesperson, everyone hires a photographer or a community manager,” she continues.

A deceptive cultural influence

Television is no longer the only springboard for rapid access to fame. A new wave of chefs, off the beaten track of classical training, have started to make a name for themselves thanks to a notoriety amplified by social networks. Julien Sebbag, owner of the Parisian restaurant Forest, is a perfect example of this. The “self-taught chef” draws his inspiration mainly from his travels, particularly to London and Tel Aviv. “I started out on my own with my phone and ten bucks in my pocket,” he says. It may be less easy to break through on Instagram in 2022 than it was at the start of the millennium, but authenticity and rigor are what make the difference.”

During the last lockdown, Julien Sebbag launched a half-warm sandwich creation on social media, exclusively for takeaway. The buzz around this limited-edition product then prompted him to come up with a restaurant concept that will open its doors in October 2022 at 46 rue de Richelieu in Paris.

Last year, Julien Sebbag did take part in the TV program Top Chefs, en cuisine et en famille broadcasted on TMC. However, he refused to participate in Top Chef, preferring to focus on “sincerity to build loyalty” with his community of followers. “Food is the number one source of happiness,” he concludes, before comparing this new wave to the young superstar rockers of the 70s, who became role models during the Woodstock era.

For Enrique Casarrubias, this new trend of trendy bistronomic chefs carries certain risks. After all, we don't want young apprentices to start thinking that you necessarily have to travel the world to become a great chef; or that an exceptional dish can be created in just 45 minutes, as shows like Top Chef would have us believe.

While the life of an influencer is the stuff of dreams for many, for Julien Durand it does not reflect the reality of the job. He only recruits apprentices with “military-style rigour” who share the same vision of the work.

For his part, Charles Coulombeau notes that the new generation of chefs under the age of 45 is now more exposed to the flow of social networks. Is it possible that Instagram will succeed in imposing its conception of gastronomy in popular culture on a lasting basis?

For the time being, the platform remains above all a showcase that cannot replace the love of products, emotions and know-how. Some fear that image will take precedence over the authenticity of the dish, but until now, gastronomy has not tolerated any cheating on taste.

The extent of the instagram wave

Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, had also confirmed that the volume of live streams has doubled in some countries, such as Italy, since the start of the first lockdown. With 22 million monthly users, Instagram is the main haunt of food lovers: 38% of users consume food content and almost a third of millennials even avoid establishments that do not have their own account on this network. Every month, the hashtag #food accounts for more than 250 million posts and is one of the most popular, alongside travel, fashion and cosmetics.

On the platform owned by Meta (parent company of Facebook), food lovers are also among the most active: they log on an average of 18 times a day and consume four times more content than regular users. Because if aesthetics are the key to success on Instagram, who better than gastronomy specialists to stimulate our appetites through an image or a video?

From chefs trained in classical schools to the new generations of influencers with culinary talents, all food professionals have had to adapt their communication strategy to promote their expertise and build a lasting community.

Article written by Pierre Berthoux to be found in issue n°1 of OniriQ Magazine.