Photo: David Moir/BravoVictoire Gouloubiis up for any challenge.TheTop Chef Italyseason 2 finalist is now competing onTop ChefWorld All Stars in Londonwhere talented finalists and winners from the original U.S. series and its 29 international versions are battling it out.Originally from Congo, Gouloubi, 42, moved to Italy when she was 20. As a result, the international private chef is quite the linguist: She’s versed in seven languages, including English, which she only started learning four months before filming the current season ofTop Chef.Gouloubi tells PEOPLE that not being fluent in English before the show was intimidating.“That was scary to learn English. I think that English is the most difficult language to learn,” she says. “I was very terrified.“The mom of two boys, who has faced dire hardships like homelessness and poverty in her past, says her career as a chef is where she finds comfort.“My job saved my entire life,” she says. “When I’m scared about something, I just want to think about my job. After that I can say, ‘I can do that.'“David Moir/BravoThrough social media, YouTube, music and film, she began learning English for the show. She also had help at home.Gouloubi’s husband, who speaks English “very well,” would practice with her, and her 16-year-old son would even jokingly taunt her as she was becoming more versed.“My son would sometimes say, ‘You are an idiot who can’t speak English.’ Because for my son, he can’t believe that people now can’t speak English,” she says with a laugh.David Moir/BravoDespite any language barriers while filming the show, the trained chef asserts that her food speaks for itself.“When you are at the table, in the kitchen, you have the food, you [don’t] need to have an interpreter or language to speak. Food can speak for you and for the people,” she tells PEOPLE.She adds that competing onTop ChefWorld All Stars was “amazing” because it opened “its doors for every kind of chef.“David Moir/BravoGouloubi’s fellow cheftestants would help translate for her during challenges if she needed an extra ear. She says she “loves” Nicole Gomes, winner ofTop Chef Canadaseason 5, since she knows some Italian and helped translate.She says Begoña Rodrigo, winner ofTop Chef Spainseason 1, also understands Italian “very well,” but couldn’t speak it. Yet she still found a way to help Gouloubi better understand her tasks. “She [would] answer me in Spanish!” she says.Gouloubi is one of eight chefs still vying for the illustrious title. She has faced more challenges during her run on season 20 than any other competitor — including an allergic reaction to walnuts. During a group competition, she was increasingly getting breathless and losing her voice before production took her away to administer an EpiPen.“It wasn’t scary because I know that with the EpiPen I can be better,” she says. “But I think for the other chefs and the other people around me, wasn’t good, wasn’t good to see, was very terrifying. Because when you have the allergic reaction, if you don’t have the medicine…you can die.“Victoire Gouloubi/InstagramShe adds: “I [didn’t] say to the other competitors that I was allergic, so [that was a] little bit my fault.“During future challenges when chefs cooked with walnuts, she wore a surgical mask, which helped prevent any more reactions.From health incidents to being a novice at English, Gouloubi has met every barrier she faced on the cooking competition show with a “calm” attitude that has inspired viewers. She says she receives hundreds of social media messages each day with sweet sentiments.“One woman [wrote] me and she said, ‘I was thinking that I am a loser, my life is just a bad life. But when I hearing your story…you give me the grit to go ahead,'” she recalls.Gouloubi says she’s “proud” of herself for even competing on a cooking show, especially on such a large scale.“I know that I can’t speak very fluently English than the other chefs, but … I can share my African people and my African soul,” she says.Top ChefSeason 20 airs every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.
Photo: David Moir/Bravo
Victoire Gouloubiis up for any challenge.TheTop Chef Italyseason 2 finalist is now competing onTop ChefWorld All Stars in Londonwhere talented finalists and winners from the original U.S. series and its 29 international versions are battling it out.Originally from Congo, Gouloubi, 42, moved to Italy when she was 20. As a result, the international private chef is quite the linguist: She’s versed in seven languages, including English, which she only started learning four months before filming the current season ofTop Chef.Gouloubi tells PEOPLE that not being fluent in English before the show was intimidating.“That was scary to learn English. I think that English is the most difficult language to learn,” she says. “I was very terrified.“The mom of two boys, who has faced dire hardships like homelessness and poverty in her past, says her career as a chef is where she finds comfort.“My job saved my entire life,” she says. “When I’m scared about something, I just want to think about my job. After that I can say, ‘I can do that.'“David Moir/BravoThrough social media, YouTube, music and film, she began learning English for the show. She also had help at home.Gouloubi’s husband, who speaks English “very well,” would practice with her, and her 16-year-old son would even jokingly taunt her as she was becoming more versed.“My son would sometimes say, ‘You are an idiot who can’t speak English.’ Because for my son, he can’t believe that people now can’t speak English,” she says with a laugh.David Moir/BravoDespite any language barriers while filming the show, the trained chef asserts that her food speaks for itself.“When you are at the table, in the kitchen, you have the food, you [don’t] need to have an interpreter or language to speak. Food can speak for you and for the people,” she tells PEOPLE.She adds that competing onTop ChefWorld All Stars was “amazing” because it opened “its doors for every kind of chef.“David Moir/BravoGouloubi’s fellow cheftestants would help translate for her during challenges if she needed an extra ear. She says she “loves” Nicole Gomes, winner ofTop Chef Canadaseason 5, since she knows some Italian and helped translate.She says Begoña Rodrigo, winner ofTop Chef Spainseason 1, also understands Italian “very well,” but couldn’t speak it. Yet she still found a way to help Gouloubi better understand her tasks. “She [would] answer me in Spanish!” she says.Gouloubi is one of eight chefs still vying for the illustrious title. She has faced more challenges during her run on season 20 than any other competitor — including an allergic reaction to walnuts. During a group competition, she was increasingly getting breathless and losing her voice before production took her away to administer an EpiPen.“It wasn’t scary because I know that with the EpiPen I can be better,” she says. “But I think for the other chefs and the other people around me, wasn’t good, wasn’t good to see, was very terrifying. Because when you have the allergic reaction, if you don’t have the medicine…you can die.“Victoire Gouloubi/InstagramShe adds: “I [didn’t] say to the other competitors that I was allergic, so [that was a] little bit my fault.“During future challenges when chefs cooked with walnuts, she wore a surgical mask, which helped prevent any more reactions.From health incidents to being a novice at English, Gouloubi has met every barrier she faced on the cooking competition show with a “calm” attitude that has inspired viewers. She says she receives hundreds of social media messages each day with sweet sentiments.“One woman [wrote] me and she said, ‘I was thinking that I am a loser, my life is just a bad life. But when I hearing your story…you give me the grit to go ahead,'” she recalls.Gouloubi says she’s “proud” of herself for even competing on a cooking show, especially on such a large scale.“I know that I can’t speak very fluently English than the other chefs, but … I can share my African people and my African soul,” she says.Top ChefSeason 20 airs every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.
Victoire Gouloubiis up for any challenge.
TheTop Chef Italyseason 2 finalist is now competing onTop ChefWorld All Stars in Londonwhere talented finalists and winners from the original U.S. series and its 29 international versions are battling it out.
Originally from Congo, Gouloubi, 42, moved to Italy when she was 20. As a result, the international private chef is quite the linguist: She’s versed in seven languages, including English, which she only started learning four months before filming the current season ofTop Chef.
Gouloubi tells PEOPLE that not being fluent in English before the show was intimidating.
“That was scary to learn English. I think that English is the most difficult language to learn,” she says. “I was very terrified.”
The mom of two boys, who has faced dire hardships like homelessness and poverty in her past, says her career as a chef is where she finds comfort.
“My job saved my entire life,” she says. “When I’m scared about something, I just want to think about my job. After that I can say, ‘I can do that.'”
David Moir/Bravo
Through social media, YouTube, music and film, she began learning English for the show. She also had help at home.
Gouloubi’s husband, who speaks English “very well,” would practice with her, and her 16-year-old son would even jokingly taunt her as she was becoming more versed.
“My son would sometimes say, ‘You are an idiot who can’t speak English.’ Because for my son, he can’t believe that people now can’t speak English,” she says with a laugh.
Despite any language barriers while filming the show, the trained chef asserts that her food speaks for itself.
“When you are at the table, in the kitchen, you have the food, you [don’t] need to have an interpreter or language to speak. Food can speak for you and for the people,” she tells PEOPLE.
She adds that competing onTop ChefWorld All Stars was “amazing” because it opened “its doors for every kind of chef.”
Gouloubi’s fellow cheftestants would help translate for her during challenges if she needed an extra ear. She says she “loves” Nicole Gomes, winner ofTop Chef Canadaseason 5, since she knows some Italian and helped translate.
She says Begoña Rodrigo, winner ofTop Chef Spainseason 1, also understands Italian “very well,” but couldn’t speak it. Yet she still found a way to help Gouloubi better understand her tasks. “She [would] answer me in Spanish!” she says.
Gouloubi is one of eight chefs still vying for the illustrious title. She has faced more challenges during her run on season 20 than any other competitor — including an allergic reaction to walnuts. During a group competition, she was increasingly getting breathless and losing her voice before production took her away to administer an EpiPen.
“It wasn’t scary because I know that with the EpiPen I can be better,” she says. “But I think for the other chefs and the other people around me, wasn’t good, wasn’t good to see, was very terrifying. Because when you have the allergic reaction, if you don’t have the medicine…you can die.”
Victoire Gouloubi/Instagram
She adds: “I [didn’t] say to the other competitors that I was allergic, so [that was a] little bit my fault.”
During future challenges when chefs cooked with walnuts, she wore a surgical mask, which helped prevent any more reactions.
From health incidents to being a novice at English, Gouloubi has met every barrier she faced on the cooking competition show with a “calm” attitude that has inspired viewers. She says she receives hundreds of social media messages each day with sweet sentiments.
“One woman [wrote] me and she said, ‘I was thinking that I am a loser, my life is just a bad life. But when I hearing your story…you give me the grit to go ahead,'” she recalls.
Gouloubi says she’s “proud” of herself for even competing on a cooking show, especially on such a large scale.
“I know that I can’t speak very fluently English than the other chefs, but … I can share my African people and my African soul,” she says.
Top ChefSeason 20 airs every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.
source: people.com
