It’s not an urban legend: the culinary world remains one of the strictest sectors of activity. And the most prone to harassment! The proof, once again, with the testimony of Mohamed Cheikh on the set of “It starts today”.
It’s on the set of the France 2 show, presented by Faustine Bollaert, It starts todaythat Mohamed Cheikh denounced the ordinary racism, violence and harassment that he suffered throughout his culinary training. The big winner of the 12th season of Top Chef hopes for a profound change, brought about by the new generation.
Mohamed Cheikh denounces racism in the kitchen: “It’s really a lion’s den”
Mohamed Cheikh sees his career as a great revenge on life. It must be said that it has not been a smooth ride for the candidate for M6’s flagship culinary program. “I will soon be 32 and in fact, I started in big houses where you really had to fight for your place”he soberly said at first. Before going into details: “At the time, on the chef’s desk, there were 50 CVs for a position. What they did in the kitchens at the time was recruit four or five people for the position. And then basically , go into the lion’s den, he who survives will stay..
A nauseating atmosphere and constant competition conducive to all kinds of excesses. “It’s really a lion’s den (…) So if you’re fat, you’re screwed. If you’re from a native country, you’re screwed. If you’re a woman, you’re screwed. fact, you had to be white, be 1m70, be sharp”explained Mohamed Cheikh immediately. And for him to add: “We didn’t want anything that was different. We wanted everyone to be the same, for the guys to be lively. When you were big, they told you ‘get lost, you’re taking up too much space'”.
Mohamed Cheikh, victim of harassment: “I kept my mouth shut”
Today at the head of his own restaurant in Saint-Ouen, Meïda, and after having worked in several major starred kitchens, the chef, followed by more than 370,000 people on Instagram, is extremely proud of his career, and of the chef respectful and caring that he has become.
“Throughout my career, I was told that I would never succeed because cooking is not for people like me, because I don’t eat pork and I don’t drink wine. J ‘have always worked in silence, I have always listened.he confided to Faustine Bollaert. And it’s up to him to continue: “And actually, after a while, when you’re talented, the bosses can’t deny it. You become an indispensable person on the team because you do a good job.”.
However, in addition to permanent discrimination and verbal and physical violence, Mohamed Cheikh experienced harassment, especially from his comrades, sometimes jealous of his good relations with the leaders. “I have always weighed on average 90 kilos for 1m85, so the physical barrier meant that people did not attack me too much, it was more moral”however, he nuanced on set.
But there was no question for the young man he was of telling anyone about it at the time: “They (his parents, editor’s note), gave everything for my education, and to ensure that I was someone who moved forward. I wasn’t going to tell them… Obviously, your mother, the only thing that she’ll say it’s ‘stop, it doesn’t matter, do something else’ but I wanted to do this job, so I kept my mouth shut”.
