Here it all begins: summary of Monday, October 27 in advance, Carla recognizes Jim, Clotilde launches a competition
The Monday, October 27 episode of Here It All Begins promises to be a tense affair, with unexpected revelations, culinary challenges, and raw emotions. As the Auguste Armand Institute prepares to vibrate to the rhythm of a new culinary competition orchestrated by Clotilde, the students will have to redouble their efforts to impress their teachers. But behind the stoves and the facade of smiles, everyone hides their doubts, their grudges, and their secrets. And that day, Carla, usually so sure of herself, will experience a shock from which she will not soon recover: she finally recognizes Jim, a face from the past that she never imagined she would see again here, within the walls of the Institute.
First thing in the morning, Clotilde summons the students to the amphitheater for a momentous announcement. With a coolly professional tone, she reveals that the Institute will launch a new internal competition to select the best among them. The goal: to discover the future great chefs capable of embodying French culinary excellence. This challenge won’t just be a question of technique—Clotilde emphasizes creativity, team spirit, and the ability to handle pressure. Very quickly, excitement gives way to fear: the chef is known for her rigor, and some students understand that she won’t let anything slide.
As the teams form, tensions are already rising. Some want to prove their worth at all costs, while others fear being crushed by the competition. Carla, true to her character, decides to face the challenge with ambition. Determined, she displays exemplary poise in front of her classmates, even if deep down, she feels a strange nervousness. This day, however, will change when she meets a new face at the Institute: Jim, a recently arrived student, charismatic and mysterious.
At first glance, Carla remains frozen. Her heart races, her confidence crumbles. She knows him, it’s obvious. But from where? For several minutes, she tries to understand why this boy seems so familiar. And suddenly, the truth is clear to her: Jim is none other than the young man she met years earlier, during an episode in her life she thought she had buried forever. Their eyes meet, heavy with memories. Jim, visibly unsettled, tries to avoid the conversation. But Carla, unable to pretend, confronts him.
This scene, charged with tension and emotion, marks a turning point. The two young people size each other up, accuse each other, and challenge each other with their gaze. Around them, their classmates sense that something important is at stake. Rumors begin to circulate in the corridors of the Institute: what connection unites Carla and this new student? Some mention an old romance, others speak of betrayal. Little by little, the truth seems more complex than it appears.
Clotilde, for her part, isn’t missing a beat of what’s going on. As the responsible leader, she wants to maintain order and focus within the school. But deep down, she too is hiding something. If she’s putting so much energy into organizing this competition, it’s because she’s pursuing a personal goal. Behind her implacable leader exterior, Clotilde is seeking to test the students’ loyalty and sincerity… and perhaps to put to the test some truths she fears. Joachim, her partner, senses that she’s hiding part of the plan from him, but prefers not to confront her, at the risk of triggering a new conflict.
Meanwhile, preparations for the competition have the Institute buzzing. The kitchens become a battlefield. The pairs train tirelessly, and the teachers move from station to station to observe. Anaïs, Salomé, and Ethan excel, but personal tensions threaten to compromise their results. Between friendly rivalries, jealousies, and doubts, everyone tries to pull through.
For Carla, Jim’s presence disrupts everything. Her mind wanders, her movements become less precise. She tries to concentrate on her preparation, but memories flood back. Their shared past resurfaces: broken promises, emotional wounds, regrets. Jim, for his part, seems to want to explain, but Carla refuses to listen. She protects herself behind a facade of indifference, determined to show him that he won’t destabilize her. Yet, a glance, a stray sentence, is enough to revive everything they had wanted to forget.
That afternoon, Clotilde announces the first round of the competition: the students will have to reinvent a great classic of French gastronomy, while preserving its soul. This culinary challenge quickly becomes a mirror of their emotions. Some dive into it with passion, others lose their footing. Carla, inspired but troubled, chooses a dish symbolic of her story—without realizing that it will reveal much more than she thinks. When the time comes to taste, Clotilde immediately notices that something beyond technique is at stake. She asks Carla about the meaning of her dish, and the young woman, moved, finally gives a sincere answer. Her words are touching, but also betray the hurt she is trying to hide.
At the end of the day, the tension is palpable. Clotilde congratulates the participants, but her gaze remains preoccupied. She knows something is amiss—that this competition might reveal secrets she herself isn’t ready to face. Teyssier, meanwhile, watches everything with amusement, convinced that this situation will eventually explode.
In the final minutes of the episode, Carla and Jim find themselves alone in the gardens of the Institute. A heavy silence falls before she utters these words: “Did you really think I’d forgotten about you?” Jim is speechless. Their gazes lock, filled with an emotion that’s hard to contain. This moving confrontation heralds an explosive sequel: between unspoken words, regrets, and repressed feelings, their story seems far from over.
The October 27 episode marks the beginning of a captivating new narrative arc for Here It All Begins . Between the competition launched by Clotilde, the memories that resurface for Carla, and the enigmatic arrival of Jim, the fragile balance of the Institute is about to shatter. The next episodes promise revelations, confrontations, and perhaps a second chance for those who dare to face the truth. Nothing will be the same after this day when past and present finally met, under the burning fires of the kitchen.
