If you watched Top Chef a couple of weeks ago, you’ll know what the Bocuse d’Or is, but in case you haven’t heard of it, it’s a culinary competitions held in Lyon, France. Established in 1987 by Chef Paul Bocuse, the Bocuse d’Or is the preeminent international culinary competition in which teams of one chef and one commis (assistant) from twenty-four countries compete for top honors and international acclaim.
Yesterday Daniel Boulud, at his restaurant Daniel, announced the semi-finalists, one of whom will be chosen to represent the U.S.A. at the next Bocuse d’Or, which will take place January 2011.
The 12 chefs who will compete at The Culinary Institute of America on February 6th 2010. (The event is open to the public, so go cheer them on, if you can.)
1. Luke Bergman, The Modern, New York, NY
2. Danny Cerqueda, Carolina Country Club, Raleigh, NC
3. Michael Clauss, Daily Planet , Burlington, VT
4. Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta, GA (you may recognize him from Top Chef)
5. James Kent, Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY
6. Mark Liberman, Roxy’s Black Sheep, West Palm Beach, FL
7. Christopher Parsons, Catch, Winchester, MA
8. Jennifer Petrusky, Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago, IL
9. John Rellah, New York Yacht Club, New York, NY
10. Jeremie Tomczak, French Culinary Institute, New York, NY
11. Andrew Weiss, The Chef’s Workshop, Las Vegas, NV
12. Percy Whatley, The Ahwahnee, Yosemite, CA
Each chef will have to prepare two protein dishes: lamb and salmon with five garnishes, in 5 1/2 hours. Judges include Grant Achatz, David Chang, Tom Colicchio, Traci des Jardins, Daniel Humm, Georges Perrier, Eric Ripert, Alain Sailhac, Laurent Tourondel, Norman Van Aken, Alan Wong, Eric Ziebold, among others.
The first prize winner will receive $5,000 and will represent the U.S.A. in the Bocuse d’Or 2011.
The Busy Hedonist wishes them all the best in this highly esteemed competition.
