Moroccan Dentist Reaches French Pâté en Croûte Championship Final with Local Recipe

Faraj’s Cauchois pâté en croûte, made with foie gras with Calvados and pommeau mixed with spices, with a fine chicken forcemeat with cream and pickles and a fine salted crust, delighted the Internet users of the social network Instagram who largely gave him their votes, among the ten semi-finalists pre-selected by the national network of hotels and restaurants, the organizer of the competition.

The Internet users were called to vote for 24 hours from Tuesday, April 4 for Faraj’s pâté. "It was crazy, I had a terrible evening. I didn’t stop answering messages of congratulations, or people who wanted to know more about my recipe. And it continues since!" the Moroccan confides to Paris-Normandie, specifying, with a touch of pride, that the starred chef Guy Savoy voted for his recipe.

Faraj Chemsi’s pâté en croûte came out on top with more than 2,200 "hearts", far outpacing the second one whose recipe only obtained half of this record. The five finalists will face a jury of journalists and chefs on Saturday, April 22 at the Le Camondo restaurant in Paris. They will undergo the long-awaited ultimate test: tasting. Faraj is aiming for the "podium", but is already delighted that the Cauchois pâté en croûte "will be shown in Paris".

The dentist by profession intends to promote his Cauchois pâté en croûte recipe after this competition. Faraj is considering setting up an "association of the Cauchois pâté en croûte, with maybe a dedicated day", or a cooking workshop that would be led by the Parisian chef specializing in pâté, Frédéric Le Guen-Geoffroy, who gave him a few lessons. His goal is to have his recipe validated by the competent authorities, but without "making it a business". The Moroccan just wants to "give back to the Pays de Caux everything it has given me by welcoming me".