The gastro dust has settled after the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition in Lyon – two days of epic cooking by 24 teams from all over the world, each competing for the prestigious gold statue created by the legendary French chef Paul Bocuse.

Taking part in Bocuse d’Or is a huge task with chefs usually leaving their jobs for the two years it takes to perfect their dishes. It’s a life consuming undertaking and one that no chef should accept lightly, just ask the Danish born chef Rasmus Kofoed who is the only person to achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold. He dedicated nine years of his life to the competition and admits to loosing a girlfriend along the way.

In 2015 it was the Norwegian team with chef Orjan Johannessen who took the top podium position but the stand out performance of the entire competition came from Team USA.

Manned by chefs Philip Tessier and Commis Skylar Stover, the USA team put a seventh position performance in 2013 behind them to bounce back and claim their first ever place on the podium with a silver medal – something they were evidently delighted with as they celebrated on stage.

Thomas Keller, Philip Tessier, Gavin Kaysen and Skylar Stover. 

“Few people will ever realize how much time, effort and resources goes into this competition, said Tessier after the event, “so many people are involved in so many levels to make it all come together and it takes an incredible amount of self-discipline and determination. The hardest part is without a doubt pushing through the disappointments and set backs that occur throughout the process. I surrounded myself with a core group that helped keep our momentum moving forward and press on despite the discouraging moments.”

It was a significant performance for a number of reasons but mainly because, in a competition historically dominated by Central European gastronomy and more recently the Nordic regions, the U.S. not only managed to compete but to stand out, jump five places from 2013 and show the world that they mean business – serious ‘Bocuse-d’Or-style’ business – they were only nine points off gold.

The team presented a fish plate of: brioche-Crusted Brown Trout Pave with American caviar, tartelette of crisped skin, garden dill, celery branch “Farci,” celery root puree, compressed apples, brown butter emulsion, and smoked mushroom consommé.

Plus a meat plate of: Barrel-Oak Roasted Guinea Hen with sausage of guinea leg confit, white corn mousse, and black winter truffle, “Garden of Sweet Peas” with French Laundry garden blossoms and herbs, sugar snap peas, and black trumpet mushroom panade, “Beehive” with boudin of smoked guinea liver, grapevine honey, pistachio “Pain des Genes,” wild fennel buds, and topaz wine glaze, Black Truffle Consommé with ragout of gizzard and heart “confit,” steamed custard, and flowering cress, White Corn “Nest” with buttered corn pudding, crisped corn silk, and “petit” popcorn, and Preserved Chanterelles with salad of frisée and garden blossoms, pickled huckleberry, and “foie gras” jus.

Their technicality and execution wowed the jury and the announcement they had scored so highly came as no surprise to people seriously considering the entries. Grant Achatz – honorary president of the competition – looked genuinely happy as he read out the name of Team USA. He explained his excitement after the event, “While it is easy for the media and the restaurant industry in general to overlook the importance of the Bocuse d’Or in today’s world of cooking shows and the rise of chefs as “celebrities”, the relevance and popularity of the Bocuse d’ Or in the USA is growing rapidly… You have a powerhouse Culinary Council that is amazing. Look at this list….no other country has that. It’s impressive.”

The council he speaks of includes greats chefs like Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Gavin Kaysen, Gabriel Kreuther, Dave Beran, Jerome Bocuse and Richard Rosendale. A stellar lineup brought together to do a job after Paul Bocuse asked Keller the simple question, ‘will you help get the USA on the podium? However, this win doesn’t come with the signing up of some big name chefs, no matter how great they are, it requires months and months of people giving up their regular work to coach, craft new tools, inspire and, most importantly, practice, practice, practice!

Is it really worth it? Achatz certainly thinks so and believes the competition and the way it influences gastronomy in the industry is only set to grow. “For example, Rasmus Koefed of Geranium has medaled three times and his restaurant has 2 stars and 42 on the top 50 list. When I ate there this past fall, it was clear that his style is directly influenced by the Bocuse d’ Or. There is a certain precision indicative of the Bocuse that permeates the aesthetics. Is that a good thing? Does it inspire Rasmus? Does it influence him to take a different path vs. the homogenous plating that you can find in Chicago, NYC, Paris, Copenhagen, Asia, and San Francisco? I’ve been guilty of this as well at Alinea, Next and The Aviary and I think that anything that pushes chef’s to move into new and interesting directions is an fantastic motivator both for the way we make things taste and how we present our food.”

“I know I was influenced by what I saw this year, and we will see some of that creativity at Alinea in the near future. The mock chicken foot that the Germany did was awesome, and made me think of ideas for Alinea.”

Achatz firmly believe that Bocuse d’Or and its influence will have some far reaching affects on chefs around the world, especially after the competitions switch in 2015 from some of the traditional platters to more restaurant style plating. “The other thing I think might be interesting is the influence from seeing the platter work at the Bocuse d’ Or and how that might make it’s way back into restaurants. We have spoken before about what is old becomes new very quickly, the cycles of the world’s best restaurants and the importance of being new. I think chefs will embrace the philosophies, aesthetics, and approach that is prevalent in the Bocuse d’ Or as creative jumping off points for their restaurants. Everyone looks to the 180-degree opposite of what is going on “right now” for the “next thing”.”

Germany’s Meat Platter. 

“I think elements of the theatrics, complexity, service, and multi-facet presentation, might start to come back into play. Think about some of the best dishes you’ve had in the last year. I had amazing tableside or tabletop “presented dishes” at Noma, Geranium, Amass, Narasawa, Takazawa, Per Se, Ekstedt, EMP and The Clove Club recently that could have perhaps been elevated by a “Bocuse Mentality” in terms of presentation.”

As we start to see some of this influence appearing in more restaurants around the world over the next few tears, Team USA will surely be behind the scenes working even harder and stronger in preparation for Bocuse d’Or in 2017, something Tessier prefers not to discuss at the moment: “You’d think people would cut you some slack before asking you if you are going to come back. I keep telling people its like asking a woman who’s just been through labor if she’d like to have another child. For now it is enjoy the moment and spend some much needed time with family. Oh, and also try not to think about those 9 points we were short of gold.”

Original article available here.

24 teams of the most gifted culinary minds from across the world competed in the Bocuse d’Or Culinary Competition and Team USA (guided by the ment’or BKB Foundation) was awarded the Silver Medal (second place) for their artful and spectacular meat platter and fish plate. Team Norway was the first-place winner. This is a giant first for Team USA. Their previous top finish was sixth. Congratulations to Team USA on a stunning achievement.

Team USA presented “the acclaimed panel of judges with a stunning meat platter of Barrel-Oak Roasted Guinea Hen with sausage of guinea leg confit, white corn mousse, and black winter truffle, “Garden of Sweet Peas” with French Laundry garden blossoms and herbs, sugar snap peas, and black trumpet mushroom panade, “Beehive” with boudin of smoked guinea liver, grapevine honey, pistachio “Pain des Genes, ” wild fennel buds, and topaz wine glaze, Black Truffle Consomme with ragout of gizzard and heart “confit,” steamed custard, and flowering cress, White Corn “Nest” with buttered corn pudding, crisped corn silk, and “petit” popcorn, and Preserved Chanterelles with salad of frisee and garden blossoms, pickled huckleberry, and “foie gras” jus.”

“The gorgeous fish plate showcased Brioche-Crusted Brown Trout Pave with American caviar, tartelette of crisped skin, garden dill, celery branch “Farci,” celery root puree, compressed apples, brown butter emulsion, sand smoked mushroom consomme. Both the meat platter and fish plate were designed by the lauded  Martin Kastner of Chicago.”

The non-profit ment’or BKB Foundation created by Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller supports Team USA with funding and coaching support. It also aims to inspire excellence in young culinary professionals and to preserve the traditions and quality of classic cuisine in America. Donations are graciously accepted.

When we last chatted with Team USA (Chefs Philip Tessier and Commis Skylar Stover of The French Laundry) early last month they were on their way to Lyon to compete in the bi-annual Bocuse d’Or World Culinary Competition, the Olympics of the culinary world. This was after a year of intensive preparation and dedicated training.

24 teams of the most gifted culinary minds from across the world competed and Team USA (guided by the ment’or BKB Foundation) was awarded the Silver Medal (second place) for their artful and spectacular meat platter and fish plate. Team Norway was the first-place winner. This is a giant first for Team USA. Their previous top finish was sixth.

Congratulations to Team USA on a stunning achievement. Chef Tessier is our guest.

The non-profit ment’or BKB Foundation created by Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller supports Team USA with funding and coaching support. It also aims to inspire excellence in young culinary professionals and to preserve the traditions and quality of classic cuisine in America. Donations are graciously accepted.

I’ve bee to this and the previous three Bocuse d’Or competitions in Lyon, France and the United States has always gone in with a strong team and high hopes, only for those hopes to have been dashed. Not so this year, as The French Laundry sous chef Philip Tessier along with his commis, Skylar Stover,, under the direction of Coach Gavin Kaysen along with the Team President, Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud, did not disappoint, coming away with a major upset only 10 measly points away from the Gold, which was won by Norway. Sweden, the heavy favorites going in, took the Bronze. Here is my view of the announcement,

Bocuse d”Argent 2015 from John Sconzo on Vimeo.

There will be plenty more to come from this blog in the 2015 Bocuse competition and the US gaining of the podium.

In the meantime, here is a link to the full results of the competition.

Original article available here.

Remember when Mary Lou Retton took gold in the Olympics and she was all over the Wheaties boxes and she just absolutely stole America’s heart?

Well, this may not be quite as exciting as that, but it’s pretty dang exciting. If you like food, and you must or you wouldn’t be reading this, its sort of like we’ve got our own Olympian doing culinary gymnastics all over town.

We already knew that Spoon and Stable’s Gavin Kaysen was a pretty big deal, but he and his culinary team (he was a coach this year) just took the silver medal at the Bocuse d’Or, the culinary olympics of the world.

And it’s the first time that America has medaled, which is a pretty big, big deal as far as the world culinary stage is concerned.

We interviewed Kaysen a few weeks ago to find out what the competition entails, and he told us about grueling training and months of preparation. He competed in 2007 but didn’t place. Traditionally, the US hasn’t done well in the competition — this year is the first year that America placed higher than sixth — so there has been a push to increase training efforts and standards.

Kaysen and the other coaches guided competitors Philip Tessier and commis Skylar Stover (both of The French Laundry) to silver medal victory.

Kaysen tweeted:

A photo of Team USA’s winning meat platter:

The news comes one day after MSP Magazine Food Critic Dara Moskowitz called Kaysen’s cooking akin to that of a promising sous chef:

“If that were the context I’d think: This kid shows lots of promise; he really can cook; he is one to watch! Is that, in the context of Kaysen’s career, a withering insult?”

Maybe.

Original article available here.

The results of this year’s Bocuse d’Or were announced this afternoon in Lyon amid the fanfare of popped Champagne, plenty of air horns, and some straight-up Lord of the Rings–style overtures blaring in the background. Chef Philip Tessier and Skylar Stover of the French Laundry in Napa represented the United States at the world’s most prestigious culinary competition, which takes place in a two-day frenzy of high-stakes knife work and impossibly elaborate plate presentations. All of the winners are below, but first take a look at this:

That’s what 250 Michelin stars in a dining room looks like.

And this, from coach Gavin Kaysen’s Instagram, is just one small snapshot of Team USA’s mise en place.

Kaysen, who left Daniel Boulud’s restaurant group last year to open his own place in Minneapolis, his hometown, has been documenting a lot of the more spectacular feats of the last two days on his Twitter feed. In addition to support from Bocuse d’Or U.S. directors Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, and Thomas Keller, the chefs Gabriel Kreuther and Richard Rosendale coached the competitors. Alinea’s Grant Achatz, who also coached our competitors, announced Tessier and Stover’s victory. This is the first time the team has ever cracked the top five in its 28-year history — the closest Team USA has gotten to the top is sixth place; we landed at seventh place in 2013.

Gold: Norway
Silver: United States
Bronze: Sweden

Best Promotion: Argentina
Best Poster: Hungary
Best Commis: Antti Lukkari from Team Finland
Special Fish Prize: Japan
Special Meat Prize: Finland

Here are some photos of the winning plates; the serving ware itself was designed by Martin Kastner, who created the unique pieces used at Alinea.

The meat plate included barrel-oak roasted guinea hen, a “garden” of sweat peas, black truffle consommé, and preserved chanterelle mushrooms.

Everyone who feels encouraged by these results — that gold is really in reach now! —  should keep in mind that warm-ups for 2017 begin in just months. Our next pair of competitors will have around 400 days to train once the finalists are selected in December.

 

Original article available here.

U.S. cooks haven’t fared well in Lyon — until now

Yesterday’s historic silver-medal finish for Team USA at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest in Lyon, France, comes after years of frustration amid rising expectations.

Created in 1987 by renowned French chef Paul Bocuse, the global gastronomic tournament treats haute cuisine like a sporting event, pitting 24 chefs from around the world against each other in an intense, five-hours-long cook-off in front of a live audience. Winning this highly publicized battle royale can make a chef’s career.

For more than two decades, the U.S. has participated in the biennial global cooking contest, often referred to as the culinary Olympics, but previously never placed higher than sixth — an unsung history occasionally fraught with comical bloopers. Consider 2007, when Gavin Kaysen’s ambitious bid for gold was tragically undone by a French dishwasher unwittingly eating his chicken-wing garnish. He finished 14th.

American aspirations aimed higher in 2008, when Bocuse himself asked esteemed New York chef Daniel Boulud to help establish a better system to organize and fund the U.S. effort. Boulud, alongside fellow chef Thomas Keller, would go on to create the nonprofit foundation Bocuse d’Or USA, which reportedly raised more than $500,000 en route to America’s 2009 bid. Keller even converted an old house next to his acclaimed California restaurant the French Laundry into a training facility. Despite that unprecedented level of support, U.S. rep Timothy Hollingsworth, then Keller’s chef de cuisine at the French Laundry, merely managed to equal the previous American high-water mark of sixth place, set by Hartmut Handke of Handke’s Cuisine in Columbus, OH, back in 2003.

Subsequent U.S. attempts fell even shorter. James Kent from New York’s Eleven Madison Park came in 10th in 2011, and Rich Rosendale from West Virginia’s storied hotel The Greenbrier finished seventh in 2013.

What changed in 2015? Well, the selection process, for one thing. In prior years, U.S. chefs had to prevail in a preliminary cooking contest in order to advance to the big stage in France. This time around, they had to win an essay contest. Keller acolytes Philip Tessier and Skylar Stover, both of the French Laundry, came out on top in this unusual literary semifinal. A spokeswoman for Bocuse d’Or USA explained to Nation’s Restaurant News that “the foundation wanted to spend its resources on cultivating our representatives rather than on selecting them.”

Even in the highly competitive world of cooking, it seems, there’s some truth to the old adage: The pen is mightier!

Check back tomorrow for Food Republic reporter Jason Kessler’s behind-the-scenes dispatch from Lyon. 

Original article available here.