"Invited to take part in the world cassoulet championship, chefs Timothée Deguingand and Nicolas Ferrand from the Pampa restaurant in Lyon's Pullman hotel foundthemselves competing against three teams from Toulouse and one from the Tarn region. And they won!
On January 20, 2025, the competitors faced off at the 9ᵉ edition of the competition, at the Rex, in Toulouse. During this evening organized by Les Chevaliers du Fiel, the chefs had to offer their cassoulet to 150 people. The two Lyon-based chefs competed against Toulouse-based establishments La Maison du Cassoulet, Le Bibent and Maison Pardailhé, and Cuq en Terrasses, in the Tarn region. It wasn't a foregone conclusion.
Timothée Deguingand, executive chef at Pullman Lyon since its opening, and Nicolas Ferrand, head of banqueting, offer their restaurant's menu the fruit of a Franco-South American fusion. "But the restaurant world is a small one! The manager of our hotel used to work in Toulouse, so some people told him that a candidate had withdrawn for the world cassoulet championship, and that's how we got there!" says Nicolas Ferrand.
A traditional recipe
For this competition, the candidates had to propose a traditional cassoulet. The two chefs took their inspiration from Prosper Montagné's 1929 recipe. "We interpreted it while respecting tradition," explains Timothée Deguingand. A lot of research and testing went into the final version. The head of banqueting explains: "We changed the broth three times to finally make a mix between vegetable and animal" A cassole was also lent by the organization, "It's very important to use this glazed terracotta dish."
The importance of breaking the crust
According to the chefs, the most important step in the recipe is the gratin. The cassoulet must be baked several times: "We bake it once, break the crust and bake it seven more times". Nicolas Ferrand explains the previous steps: "The cassoulet is assembled with all the meats in layers: a layer of beans, then beans mixed with rind, pork shoulder, shank, pork belly, Toulouse sausage and duck confit."
For the competition, the two Lyonnais didn't have access to on-site kitchens. So they vacuum-packed their preparations. "A handicap turned into a strength", smile the chefs. during cooking, the white beans absorb the broth and fat from the duck confit, rind and sausage. It's this alchemy that gives cassoulet just the right amount of fat and flavor. Nicolas Ferrand explains: "All traditional stews that require a lot of cooking are even better when cooled and reheated. There's a new exchange of flavors that creates an osmosis". Today, the two cooks offer "la cassole pampa" on the menu of their restaurant. "A revisited version of the cassoulet with South American flavors, with rind, a tangy, spicy chicken broth that spices up the Tarbais beans, and chicharrón, pork belly marinated in spices and fried. With coriander and red onion. It's crunchy and comforting!" enthuses Timothée Deguingand.
