Season 12

It was in Plougonver, Brittany, that Jessica called on chef Philippe Etchebest to come to her aid: the restaurant where she works with her boss Vincent has been experiencing a major drop in clientele for several months. Their financial situation was at its worst, and so was their morale. During his visit, the chef quickly discovered that Jessica was sorely lacking in professionalism. She oscillated between good humor... and repeated blunders! And yet, despite the chef's few mistakes, for the first time on Cauchemar en cuisine, Philippe Etchebest found himself at a dead end: it was impossible for him to explain such a drop in clientele with what he had seen! However, according to Jessica, it seems that the chef hasn't seen the whole story: his boss's explosive personality is an integral part of the problem! So how will Philippe Etchebest react when he finds out?

Philippe Etchebest travels to Plouzévédé, a small village in Brittany's Finistère region. There, he meets Marie-Laure, who took over her mother's restaurant 6 years ago. For almost 40 years, the establishment was a veritable institution, but today Marie-Laure, who works with her husband Patrice, is finding it hard to keep customers coming back. During his visit, Chef Etchebest is pleasantly surprised to discover that Patrice turns out to be an experienced cook, but he's in for a disappointment as Marie-Laure and Patrice seem completely helpless in the face of their dwindling clientele... Not only are Marie-Laure and Patrice facing professional difficulties, but the restaurant's critical situation is beginning to take its toll on their married life. Philippe Etchebest will try to help them get out of this negative spiral, before the restaurant closes its doors for good or their relationship falls apart.

Philippe Etchebest will be working in a restaurant in great difficulty in Châtel-Guyon, in the heart of the Auvergne. Damien, the chef, took over this local institution just 7 months ago with his wife Élodie. It was a dream come true for this passionate cook, who wanted to give his wife and 2-year-old daughter a better life. After a good start, sales began to fall off, and since then the couple have been forced into receivership. During his visit, Philippe Etchebest was able to see the extent of the damage. Lack of professionalism, untidy cooking: Damien and Élodie are beset by problems. What could have happened to make them fall so far? If the chef wants to help them, he absolutely must find out the reasons for this wreck. And to say the least, this task is going to prove more difficult than expected...

Philippe Etchebest travels to La Chapelle-Launay, a small town in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. He's answering a very special call: a 12-year-old boy, Gabriel, has asked him to come and save his father Raphaël's restaurant. Raphaël has owned a roadside restaurant for the past 5 years, but business has been going badly for the past few months. Customers are deserting the restaurant, and the situation is becoming worrying. The difficulties at work are spilling over into family life: young Gabriel seems very affected by seeing his father change over the weeks. Previously a bon vivant, Raphaël has become a sad man, and as far as his son is concerned, he has lost his smile and no longer has the energy to share moments with him. Yet the young boy has only one dream: to be reunited with his old dad. Extremely touched by the young teenager's confidences, chef Philippe Etchebest will try to save the restaurant, but he's not out of surprises...

Chef Etchebest is in Ouistreham this week, at the restaurant of Fanny and Dieva, a brother and sister team who took over a local institution ideally located on the harbor a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, they've been disillusioned since their arrival: the restaurant has lost its reputation and the duo have gone from 200 to... 20 covers! In the face of these difficulties, the atmosphere during service is extremely tense... and family ties are becoming increasingly strained! Will Philippe Etchebest discover the reasons for this wreckage and succeed in helping Fanny and Dieva? The stakes are high.

This week, Philippe Etchebest visits Isabelle and Daniel's restaurant in Argelès-sur-Mer. A few months ago, this couple gave up everything to acquire a tourist restaurant by the sea. They invested all their savings to make Isabelle's dream come true, and are supported on a daily basis by Daniel's son Mickael, who works in the kitchen. From the moment he arrived, the chef quickly realized that this was not going to be a family affair! Because in this establishment, there are plenty of stories... whether in the dining room or in the kitchen, Philippe Etchebest is not at the end of his surprises! And to make matters worse: while on the outside all is well, behind the scenes, everyone is blaming the other! Nevertheless, even if no one wants to say anything, the chef is going to do everything in his power to help them and get the truth out! They have to act fast, because the whole family is on the verge of exploding...

Tonight, it's the parents who have asked Chef Etchebest to come to their child's rescue: Patricia and Didier are at a loss when it comes to the situation in which their son Jérôme finds himself. With his long experience in the restaurant business, Jérôme left the Paris region with his family three years ago to open his own establishment by the sea in Charente-Maritime. But the business didn't work out, and debts piled up. It will take all the chef's skills to find the root of the problems and get the business back on track.