Amine Laabi did not win The Chiefs ! but he still emerges as the winner of the popular culinary competition. With his energy and positive attitude, he charmed viewers and show-makers alike. “You are a real favorite for the whole team,” said host Élyse Marquis at the time of her elimination. The Press wanted to learn more about his journey.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Amine Laabi thrives on challenges. It may sound cliché, but that’s really what emerges from the hour-long interview the 29-year-old chef gave to The Press. “In life, I’m always like that. If I stagnate, I have to move on to the next step,” he says, sitting at a table near the common kitchen shared by the Gentile Pizza Parlor and the Gentile café, where he has worked for three years.
Accustomed to concocting generous dishes in this Italian restaurant in Westmount, Amine Laabi was looking for a way to get out of his comfort zone. “I’ve always dreamed of doing gourmet cooking,” confides the man who has already completed a three-week course at the prestigious Maison Boulud. From this wish was born the idea of registering for the 11e edition of Chiefs!.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Amine Laabi, in interview
I said to myself either I’m going to ruin my career, or I’m going to blow it up!
Amine Laabi
“Can you really taint your career by participating in this show? “, we ask him. After all, if you’re selected, you’re one of “Quebec’s best aspiring chefs,” as Élyse Marquis has said all season long.
Amine Laabi admits that he was afraid of doing “some bullshit” in front of the cameras. His impressive run to the final showed that his fears were unfounded. With his four victories, he is the candidate who has won the most challenges.
“I questioned myself a lot, a lot. […] Going there, I said to myself that I had to stop putting negative ideas in my head and that I just had to trust myself, follow my instincts and do what I love, “says the one who is “very proud” of his career in the competition and his fourth place.
“The feedback from the chefs really made me grow,” he continues. For me, it was impossible that I could surprise chefs like that. Even I was surprised. »
A defining moment
By episode 6, the land and sea (and mushroom) challenge instilled more confidence in her talent. With imposed meat and fish, but few constraints, this event was, in his eyes, the moment when he had to shine.
“I thought to myself, if there is something to prove, it is today. »
That night, he clinched the top spot. “It was unanimous. We enjoyed your dishes, ”said judge Isabelle Deschamps Plante at the time of the verdict.
“It was the event where you had to stand out, and I did it,” enthuses the energetic young man.
“I demonstrated my skills chef and cook. In this episode, I proved that I was more than capable. For me, this is my greatest accomplishment in The Chiefs !. »
In the finale, this Moroccan of origin who grew up in Laval chose to pay homage to Quebec by using boreal flavors. Is it this decision that cost him the victory? “I could have made a Moroccan menu if I wanted to, but it was not a challenge for me. I’m in the final Chiefs !. I’m not here to do what I know how to do. I am here to show that I am capable of surpassing myself, ”he replies, serene with the turn of this ultimate challenge. “I didn’t have a good day,” admits the chef, however.
less experience
It should be remembered that Amine Laabi had few years of cooking experience compared to other candidates.
While his dream of a career in food germinated in sixth grade after doing school work on nutrition, he didn’t enroll in cooking school until he was 25.
After grade five, he started working in shoe and clothing stores and worked his way up there. “I was in a company where I could grow and make a very good salary,” he says. Until the moment when, at 25, he stopped feeling fulfilled.
Ripe for a new challenge, he signed up for cooking school…as he had promised his mother many times since graduating from high school.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Final touch to the recipe cooked for The Press
Café Gentile, where he still works, was the first place to give him a chance. “I had an extraordinary chef who taught me a lot and I’m grateful to him,” he says of his colleague Nelson Maceira.
The following ?
The show The Chiefs ! finished, what will be the continuation for Amine Laabi? “I don’t really know what will happen to me. I am open to everything. In particular, he wishes to continue to share his culinary knowledge with the public through his social networks. He also recently joined Radio-Canada’s Brigade Mordu. Eventually, he would like to follow internships abroad in gastronomic establishments.
Whatever his plans, the public will certainly continue to follow him. The chef is still surprised by the wave of love from viewers. “Honestly, I never thought I would have such a strong comeback. It is enormous ! I still can’t believe it. »
Five gourmet questions to Amine Laabi
As a dessert, to close the interview in a nice way, The Press has concocted a little gourmet questionnaire for this cooking enthusiast.
1. The food he likes to cook the most? Fish.
2. Her biggest source of inspiration in the kitchen? “It’s Pierre Gagnaire, a starred French chef. A cooking legend. The team of Chiefs! brought me a video of Pierre Gagnaire cheering me on for the final and I cried. It’s my idol. […] The video was not shown because it was received after filming. »
3. The dish giving him a hard time? Cacio e pepe. “It’s an Italian dish. It’s literally cheese, water and pasta, but it’s the hardest dish for me to execute. I almost never manage to do it, even if it’s easy. »
4. Sweet or salty? Dirty. “I hardly eat any sugar. […] I love making desserts, but I don’t eat them. »
5. His cute sin? “A smoked-meat poutine from Dunn’s. »
Recipe: spicy shrimp with yellow tomato, parsley couscous and bruschetta
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Spicy shrimps with yellow tomato, parsley couscous and bruschetta
A simple, good, colorful dish to enjoy “on the terrace with a glass of white wine”. This is how Amine Laabi describes the recipe he has chosen to share with the readers of The Press. With its summery touch, it is one of the new items on the Gentile café menu.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients for couscous
- 1 cup couscous
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup boiling water
Ingredients for the prawns
- 8 jumbo shrimp, halved lengthwise
- 1 cup yellow tomato coulis*
- 1 C. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 fresh chilli, sliced diagonally
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. white wine
Ingredients for the bruschetta
- 2 yellow Heirloom tomatoes
- 1 French shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 C. chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- flower of salt
Couscous preparation
- Mix the olive oil and the parsley with the hand mixer.
- In a bowl, stir the olive oil and parsley mixture into the couscous.
- Season with salt and pour boiling water over the couscous. Cover for 5 minutes.
- Using a fork, fluff the couscous and set aside in the fridge.
Preparing the prawns
- In a skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil and sear the shrimp for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and fresh chili. Sweat for a few seconds.
- Deglaze with the white wine, then reduce by half.
- Add the tomato coulis and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Preparing the bruschetta
- Dice the tomatoes.
- Mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Assembly
- In an oval plate, add a line of couscous.
- Place 4 shrimp halves on the couscous and pour a teaspoon of sauce over the shrimp.
- Add the bruschetta and a pinch of fleur de sel.
* The yellow tomato coulis can be found in delicatessens or can be replaced by a red tomato coulis.