CAREER TALKS special "Bocuse d'Or" edition with the French contestant Nais Pirollet (2017) and her coach Tabata Mey (2004)

Naïs Pirollet and Tabata Mey were the guests of honour at the Career Talks organised by the corporate relations team on Monday 16 May at the "Laboratoire du Service". During a talk lasting 2 hours, they retraced their career path and answered the questions asked by the 2nd year Bachelor International Culinary Arts Management students, who were curious to know everything about the famous Bocuse d'Or international competition.

Congratulations to our student - Théo Girbal - who introduced the talk with skill and enthusiasm, praising Naïs and Tabata for their values of "excellence, courage and audacity" and thanking them for setting an example for future generations.

Naïs Pirollet was only 24 years old when she triumphed in the Bocuse d'Or France selection, representing our country in the Bocuse d'Or Europe competition. Finishing 7th, she was selected for the Bocuse d'Or World final in January 2023 during the Sirha Food Event. After two years of preparation alongside Chef Davy Tissot within the French Bocuse d'Or Team, leading him to victory, Naïs has mastered the rules of the competition but she is also ready to challenge herself and give her best. Her mantra is to have no regrets!

And for this, Naïs can count on her coach Tabata Mey - Chef of the 1* restaurant Les Apothicaires and owner of the food court Food Traboule with her husband Ludovic Mey. Originally from Brazil, Tabata had her future in medicine mapped out, but she decided otherwise. Listening only to her instinct and her passion for cooking, she joined Institut Paul Bocuse in the early 2000s. She then went on to work for famous restaurants and Michelin star chefs, including: Pavillon Ledoyen, Nicolas Le Bec, and Paul Bocuse himself even appointed her to head up one of his establishments, Marguerite restaurant, the first female chef working for the group. Then, as a finalist in the Top Chef TV competition alongside Jean Imbert (2001).

“There are no limits other than those that we impose on ourselves, I won't hide the fact that the job is hard, because it is demanding. But you will see when you leave school how useful all your courses will be and even those that you don't appreciate at the time, don't miss a moment of it! Do things thoroughly with a lot of pleasure and passion and above all be curious”.
 Tabata Mey

"After two years in the kitchens of Chef David Toutain in Paris, Davy Tissot asked me to be part of his Team France for the Bocuse d'Or competition. For me, it was an opportunity I couldn't miss! I had always thought about the big competitions, but I had no idea that I would take part so early in my career. The reality of competition is very different from the preconceptions I had: it's not about being the best and crushing the others, but about surpassing yourself, going beyond your limits and starting from the principle that anything is possible, and that everything must be achievable. In the end, during the competition, the result can be very uncertain because you depend on the other candidates, and it's the preparation that makes up 80% of the competition. And what makes me strong is also my team! In total, there are about fifteen members of the team, including Cole Millard (2022) as commis, Arthur Debray - recipe R&D, Julien Dubois - logistics, Chef Le Cossec, etc.

I put my life on hold to give it my all for the competition. It takes a lot of determination and resilience. And I also allow myself time to take a break & relax with my sports coach and with Rose Mawi Ehret - yoga & Reiki teacher, who help me in my psychological and personal development. It is by understanding who I am, what my strengths and weaknesses are that I can move forward and give the best of myself”.
Naïs Pirollet

Eager to discover all the stages involved in reaching the Bocuse d'Or World Final, the students appreciated Naïs and Tabata's transparent presentation. They described the criteria for each event, the working conditions, the logistics, the details of the dishes required, etc.

The final word went to Naïs: “Believe in your dreams, seize the opportunities, you will see that nothing happens by chance. And, at worst, what can you lose? You always learn from your mistakes. You are the image of the school, live up to it, make our teaching shine, it is thanks to the students and alumni that our school creates value in the world, be proud to be part of this family!”