Chef Kévin D'Andrea on "Top Chef" friendships, must-have ingredients and the summer Olympics

Much like working as a chef in any restaurant kitchen, no matter the caliber or cuisine, "Top Chef" can be a particularly unique and rigorous experience. In many cases, a general sense of grit and toughness is the norm, oftentimes calcified after years and years of tense kitchen interactions, incredibly frenzied cooking, frantic moments and immense stressors.

This is often shown throughout "Top Chef," too, particularly during certain challenges, like Restaurant Wars or the Mise en Place Race, as well as any moment of the finale cook.

For Chef Kevin D'Andrea, though, he added a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will — nodding to his birthplace — oftentimes contributing a sense of levity, a bright smile, a wink and a nod. In both the competition proper and also Last Chance Kitchen, D'Andrea was consistent a bright spot, often adding humor and lightness in a competition show that often times finds itself lacking such ebullience. In addition, he made some pretty stupendous dishes, too, combining his culinary background and expertise with his previous experiences on "Top Chef France" to make him quite the well-rounded cheftestant.

Bravo and NBCU must have also been a fan of this energy and have since capitalized on D'Andrea's French heritage, culinary knowledge and on-camera charisma in order to highlight the many athletes competing in the Summer Olympics in Paris: a new Peacock show called "Breaking Baguettes," hosted by D'Andrea.

As per Eric Goodman with NBC Olympics, "Top Chef’s charming, whisk-wielding, sports-crazed French cuisine master is inviting U.S. Olympians into his kitchen to get a front row seat to the food of his home nation, France, in the brand new series 'Breaking Baguettes.'"

With a fun title clearly a nod to the custom of "breaking bread," the show slight subverts the custom: As Goodman says, "Inside each [baguette] is a hidden slip of paper – fortune cookie style – with a spicy question for either Chef Kevin or one of his special guests." You can tune into "Breaking Baguettes" now on Peacock or on the NBC Sports YouTube channel.

Salon Food recently spoke with Chef D'Andrea about his experience on "Top Chef," his close-knit friendship with fellow competitor Chef Manny Barella, "Breaking Baguettes" and much more.

Kevin D’Andrea on "Top Chef" (Stephanie Diani/Bravo)

The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Hi! Did you do any sort of special preparations for "Top Chef?" How did your previous "Top Chef" experience aid in your experience?

Yes, absolutely! I worked on training myself within the time limits and I also watched other seasons. As a finalist on Top Chef France, I also was in the unique position to be able to pull from past experience.

What would you say is your favorite or best moment of the competition?

Definitely my birthday! It came around while filming and Manny Barella organized a big surprise dinner with the whole family. It was a magical moment.

Was there anything about competing on the show that you didn't anticipate? Either from the competition standpoint itself, from the television perspective, or perhaps even from watching yourself back after months have passed?

Being in the unique position to have competed on Top Chef internationally, I was likely the most prepared for the style of the show and for watching myself back. It’s always a little out of body to see yourself on screen, but the experience is unlike anything else.

Lots of credit goes to the "Top Chef" team who made us feel comfortable and safe through the duration of filming.

Kevin D'Andrea on "Top Chef" (David Moir/Bravo)Did you have a favorite challenge? Conversely, was there a challenge you really didn’t enjoy?

I really enjoyed the chaos challenge – that was my favorite! There wasn’t a challenge I specifically didn’t enjoy. Even when I was eliminated, I was proud to be leaving after making some of the best risotto they’d experienced on the show.

Which dish were you proudest of?

In Madison, I made a warm praline chocolate mousse for the duality challenge that I was really proud of. I had a great feeling about that dish and the feedback from the judges, including Dominique Crenn who was a judge when I came in second on Top Chef France, was really positive.

What was the critique you received during the show that you learned the most from?

"Top Chef" gives you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive input, advice and support from the judges and renowned chefs. I tried to take each bit of helpful critique to heart.

Laura Ozyilmaz and Kevin D’Andrea on "Top Chef" (David Moir/Bravo)

Do you have a number-one favorite ingredient to work with?

I cannot exist without garlic and fresh herbs.

What stands out for you as a formative moment that got you into cooking or food at large?

When I went to culinary school at 16, my professor, Mr. Troin believed in me, and he was the only one. Most people, including myself, considered me a lost cause – bad at school and completely lost. Mr. Troin helped me understand the love of cooking and the appreciation for focusing on something to become someone in life.

Congratulations on "Breaking Baguettes" (love the name, by the way!) How did the show come about?

Thank you! Breaking Baguettes is so much fun! I am a huge fan of sports and especially the Olympics. When NBC contacted me about doing this amazing series for the Summer Olympics, I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough.

Tell me a bit about Foliepops?

Foliepop's is a French patisserie located in Austin, Texas where we make delicious pastries — particularly the Tartelette. Foliepop’s Tartelettes are shortbread cookies with creamy fillings and topped with milk, dark or white chocolate. They come in a variety of decadent flavors like: chocolate, lemon, raspberry, peanut, caramel and chai. Right now, the Foliepop’s Tartelettes are available in HEB stores across Central Texas and our goal is to make the Tartelettes available nationwide!

Manuel "Manny" Barella Lopez, Kevin D'Andrea and Tom Colicchio on "Top Chef" (David Moir/Bravo)

I'm always a sucker for a "Top Chef" friendship and I thought the fun bond you had with Manny was so great and brought such levity to the show. What do you think helped the two of you to connect?

Manny is more than a friend — he became family. In fact, I just went to Denver to celebrate his wedding! When we walked in for the very first episode, Manny was just in front of me in the line to head in. We needed to be quiet, but he had his hands behind his back, so I high fived him. When I did, he turned around and smiled. I winked back and it was instant friendship. As we continued to get to know each other, we discovered that we’d been through a lot of similar experiences, including immigrating to the U.S. and working our way up.

What’s next for you?

I am heading home to Paris for the Olympics where some exciting things are in the works! Hope to share more on that, soon!

And, I’m looking forward to growing the presence and availability of Foliepop’s Tartelettes nationwide.