Bocuse d’Or Competition!

If you think you can be Bravo’s Top Chef, or better yet, win the

Bocuse d’Or competition? What is the Bocuse d’Or?

Last night five Top Chefs got their Bravo-ized version of the famed

Bocuse d’Or. The real competition features a culinary team of chefs

tackling two extravaganza’s of fish and meat with unique garnishes all

sampled by 24 final judges.

The qualification process from the U.S. is as follows:

“During the course of one day, sixteen, two member teams will present

one protein dish to a panel of chef judges for evaluation of overall

promise as a Bocuse d’Or team. The team will have approximately 2

hours for completion of the dish. The strongest eight teams will

advance to a Finalist competition during the following two days. Based

on competition performance, the top candidate and his or her commis

will be selected to go on to Lyon in 2011 as the US representatives.

“The Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation will select 16 chef/commis teams from

amongst all the applicants to enter the domestic Semi-final and Final

competitions at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park on

February 4-6, 2010. Notification will be provided on December 7th,

2009. “

The competition originated in 1987.

“Chef Paul Bocuse created the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest in

1987, in order to broaden the public’s understanding of the

extraordinary dedication, hard work, practice and precision required

to execute the very finest cuisine.

“The Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest is the most rigorous

international culinary competition, held every two years in Lyon,

France. Twenty-four countries are selected to compete, and each

country’s team is comprised of one chef and one commis assistant.

“Each team is provided five and a half hours to create two elaborate

platter presentations, one centered around seafood and one on meat,

each accompanied by three original garnishes. The platters are

presented before twenty four judges, each of whom is among the most

esteemed chefs in his/her own country. The judges evaluate the overall

harmony of flavors in the dish, the presentation of the platter, the

techniques employed and the efficiency in which the teams work.
“The intensity of the spectator’s enthusiasm is unique. Thousands of

fans attend the event and are seated in sections in front of their

competitors’ booth, waving flags, singing national chants, and

providing general encouragement. The noise level of the arena elevates

as the candidates race to complete their presentations to the judges.

Hundreds of international photo and film journalists canvas the

location, broadcasting the competition live around the world.

“The day following the competition, Chef Bocuse hosts a breakfast at

his Michelin 3-star restaurant in Collonges which includes a ceremony

to honor the top three teams by installing a plaque engraved with

their names and countries on the front walkway into the restaurant.”