The Bocuse D'Or

Imagine an arena filled with a thousand people screaming and cheering on their countries in an epic battle. 24 teams, comprised of 2 players each with a coach, push hard for 5 and a half straight hours. They've been training for nearly 1 year, perfecting their skills and tweaking ideas. At the end, they'll display the fruits of their labor in front of a panel of expert judges. And then, perhaps the most difficult part of the yearlong journey--the wait.

The Bocuse d'Or 2011 just ended, and Team USA failed to capture the title yet again. However, perhaps more has been accomplished by Team USA this year than in years past. Allow me to elaborate a bit on what many call the olympics of the culinary world...


The Bocuse d'Or is a biennial world chef championship. Named for the legendary chef Paul Bocuse, the event takes place during two days near the end of January in Lyon, France at the SIRHA International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade Exhibition, and is one of the world's most prestigious cooking competitions. The event is frequently referred to as the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games.

Based on an event first arranged in 1983, when the SIRHA (restaurant conference) took place in Lyon as "an exhibition organized by professionals for professionals." Paul Bocuse, appointed Honorary President, conceived the idea of a culinary competition to take place during the exhibition, with preparation of all dishes taking place live in front of an audience.

France, the invariable home team, has won gold on six occasions, while Belgium, Norway and Sweden have consistently finished in one of the top three placements. The highest Team USA has placed is 6th, when Timothy Hollingsworth of The French Laundry competed in the previous competition. Prior to him, Gavin Kaysen of Café Boulud placed 14th. This year, James Kent represented Team USA.

Bocuse d'Or USA 2010 from Nathan Rawlinson on Vimeo.

Each team consists of two chefs, one lead chef, and a commis/assistant chef who must be under 22 years of age at the time of the competition. The team has 5 hours and 35 minutes to prepare two elaborate presentations, a meat dish and a fish dish. Taking place in an open "culinary theatre", fully equipped kitchens are lined up side by side, facing an area for the jury, members of the press and audiences, with spectator numbers limited to 1,000 people. From the 2009 contest, a designated coach located on the outside of the kitchen area is permitted to communicate with the team. Also as of 2009, inspectors control equipment and the backstage zone, as no vegetables may be pre-cut, although teams may pre-peel garlic, portion oil, salt, flour and other ingredients, and bring stocks made in advance.

The jury consists of 24 renowned chef judges who make their evaluations based on the level of perfection in the presentation, in terms of technical skill, cooking sophistication, creativity and visual beauty. The jury is divided into two groups of 12, each half to judge either the fish dish or the meat dish. The food's quality determines two-thirds of the score, 40 points; presentation determines 20 points. In the event of a tie, another 20 points will be awarded based on factors such as organization, teamwork, cleanliness and lack of waste. The completed dishes must be assembled on a large silver platter and passed in front of a panel of judges. Judging this competition must be like splitting hairs, as all the platters are incredibly worthy of the prize. 

The chef with the highest overall score is awarded the Bocuse d'Or trophy, a golden effigy of Paul Bocuse in his chef's outfit, receiving the grand prize of €20,000. The Silver Bocuse medallist receives €15,000, and the Bronze Bocuse medallist receives €10,000.

Paul Bocuse himself called upon Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller, America’s top two chefs, to give America the push it needed to be more competitive at the Bocuse d’Or. The result was the Bocuse d'Or USA foundation, aimed at raising funds and seeking out the best talent to represent the USA in hopes of taking home the title.

Bocuse d'Or USA from Warner Hanson Television on Vimeo.

The inaugural Bocuse d'Or USA competition took place at Epcot in September 2008. This effort provided Team USA with a preparation budget near $500,000 for the 2009 finals (citing that many European nations often have budgets of more than $1 million). Timothy Hollingsworth of The French Laundry won the 2008 Epcot competition and was chosen as the representative for that year's Bocuse d'Or. 

The Bocuse d'Or USA 2010 took place in February 2010 at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. The winner was James Kent from Eleven Madison Park who represented Team USA in Lyon, France in 2011. 

Due to the efforts of Bocuse d’Or USA foundation, the event has become more recognized with the American public. Just recently in fact, Daniel and Keller spoke about it on a national morning TV news show.

I urge you to follow the buildup to the event next year, as it will surely be interesting to see who rises up to represent Team USA in 2013.