American in Paris competes on French TV show Un dîner presque parfait

When Celina Tolbert got the chance to appear on Un dîner presque parfait – the French version of hit UK reality show Come Dine with Me – she was excited to cook up a taste of home.

The North Carolina native, who now lives in Paris, was part of a semaine spéciale mondiale focusing on food from around the world.

As usual, five contestants battled it out to be crowned best dinner party host and take home a cheque for €1,000. Celina went full country and western, complete with Dolly Parton, clogging (a type of folk dance) and rodeoing on an inflatable bull.

She finished last with a score of 5.5 out of 10.

Aspiring actress Celina is no stranger to the camera. She took workshops at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she chose theatre as an academic minor, and subsequently landed several movie roles as an extra.

Her screen ambitions were put on hold when she moved to France as an au pair in 2016. Her studies later took her between London and Paris, where she has been settled since 2020, chronicling expatriate life on TikTok.

The Connexion asked her about cooking, French life, her passion for châteaux, and how her recent French TV experience could serve as a springboard for more acting work.

Her next role is playing a student in Fleur, a movie directed by Ellie Foumbi and produced by Halle Berry.

‘I wanted to serve childhood dishes’

Tell us about your cooking choices for the show. Why did you not go with Lexington-style barbecue?

Because I’m not a pit master and I didn’t want to disrespect the pros!

I wanted to get personal and chose childhood dishes. I served barbecue baked beans, the way my grandma from the Appalachian Mountains would. She bought a can of barbecue baked beans and added ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and barbecue sauce. It sounds weird but it’s actually really good. I topped it off with a Carolina barbecue sauce I brought from the US.

So you did not go for livermush…

Cornbread and meatloaf have similar vibes, just without the liver. My meatloaf turned out a bit dry because of the oven constraints on the show.

I thought about serving Pepsi, because Pepsi is from North Carolina, but eventually did not.

I think you were too American when grading the others. You should have gone French…

Honestly, the French grading system went out of my mind. I was definitely too nice. If I had graded like everyone else, my score would not have been as low [laughs].

Learning the French TV industry

Was it interesting to learn about the French TV industry?

Yes. I’ve worked on film sets in the US but it was cool learning French terms – such as coupez and action.

I now have a lot more empathy for reality TV contestants. Even though this was low-stakes, there were stressful moments when the crew had been filming for a long time. You’re tired and say silly things in French. Even in English, I probably would have said n’importe quoi.

A passion for French châteaux

You threw a party in a château for your 30th birthday. Does France have the best castles in the world?

Absolutely. My mother-in-law lives in Dordogne. Every time I visit, I find a new château within 30-45 minutes.

Other countries have beautiful castles, but they’re fewer and further apart. My dream is to buy a French château and fill it and the outbuildings with rescue animals.

Is that after installing an air-conditioning system?!

[Laughs] Yes, but realistically I’d aim for a big basement that’s naturally cool. I’m eco-friendly and cheap.

We have one AC unit at home but I cannot handle blasting it all day.

I’m not French yet, but I’m definitely less American.

Why France feels like home

You’ve been chronicling your life on TikTok. One video grabbed my attention because it centred on Mormon ads on YouTube. Why do you think they targeted you?

They likely target people far from their homeland – those who might feel lonely. I’m from a religious part of the South but am no longer religious.

I’ve warned people to be careful about where they find community abroad, as some genuinely want connections while others try to profit.

I even saw an ad for free French classes in a Paris Facebook group. The targeting is real.

What is something about French culture you still find surprising after 10 years?

As someone who tells the truth almost all the time, I would get in trouble for being too blunt in the US, even when I was not intending to be rude.

Here, French people are never shocked or upset by directness. There is a lot less subtext, which makes life easier.

It was an adjustment, especially coming from the South, where we say “bless your heart” and then talk about you behind your back.

How do you reflect on your journey?

I am pursuing French citizenship, not just for ease of living but because I genuinely feel at home here.

My heart breaks for my home country. I hear awful things from friends across the US, and while my parents in rural North Carolina are fine, it is hard to hear what’s going on.

France is not perfect but I appreciate its foundations. I find French people and society very authentic and I, in turn, can be my authentic self far more easily here.

What is your advice for Americans considering moving to France?

Do your research. I’ve seen many people move here without doing so, then get upset.

Look at whether the culture will align for you. For me, France made sense because I was accidentally too blunt in the US.

Also, the younger you are, the better. I’m lucky I moved abroad right after graduating from university.

Grab any chance you have because it only gets harder the older you get.