For the first time, a U.S. team walked away with top honors at the prestigious Bocuse d'Or chef competition, seen as the Olympics of cooking.
U.S. chef Mathew Peters (center), celebrates on the podium with teammates after winning the "Bocuse d'Or" trophy, in Lyon. Photo: Laurent Cipriani/AP
The
U.S. team was led by chef Mathew Peters and commis, or assistant, Harrison
Turone. Norway took silver, and Iceland took bronze.
The
competition pits 24 chefs against each other and is billed as the "most
demanding and prestigious reward in world gastronomy," started by
legendary French chef Paul Bocuse. The U.S. has long been an underdog: It has
only stood on the podium once before, when it took silver in 2015.
Chefs
prepare for months for the strenuous competition, which held its grand finale
in Lyon, France, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Before they even get there, they
must first prove their mettle over 18 months of qualifying rounds.
The
finale was comprised of two "highly symbolic tests," which the chefs
must complete in 5 hours and 35 minutes. The first test, described as a nod to
the past, called for contestants to prepare a "modern interpretation"
of the classic Lyonnaise dish "chicken and crayfish." This dish was
the theme of the first-ever contest, held in 1987.
This
is what the U.S. team prepared, according to The New York Times: "The
American version involved the chicken with morel mushroom sausage, braised
wings, a wine glaze and sauce Américaine, a kind of lobster sauce. Alongside
were a chicken liver quenelle with foie gras, corn custard, black-eyed peas and
toasted pistachios, as well as lobster tail with Meyer lemon mousse. The
garnishes included preparations using carrots, Vidalia onions, black truffles,
carrots, peas and potatoes."
The
chefs were also tasked with creating an entirely vegan dish — because the
Bocuse d'Or is "a resolutely modern contest." A press release from
the competition explains that "it is now time to treat vegetal products as
main ingredients in their own right and treat them just like fish or meat."
Here is the first theme on a tray from team USA! – Photo: @Bocusedor
For
this component, the U.S. team made "California asparagus with cremini
mushrooms, potatoes, a custard made of green almonds, Meyer lemon confit, a
Bordelaise sauce and a crumble using an almond and vegetable yeast preparation
that mimicked Parmesan cheese," the Times reports.
"The
inspiration for the dishes came from where I've come from: from New York to
California," Peters told Fine Dining Lovers after the team's win. "I
wanted to bring something that was all American. And that's what we did."
Peters,
a veteran of renowned restaurants Per Se and The French Laundry, has been
rigorously preparing for the competition. He told The Daily Beast that for some
12 hours a day, five days a week, he "has cooked an unchanging roster of
dishes over and over again."
The
win also holds deep significance for esteemed chef Thomas Keller, the team's
president. "There are no words to describe how proud we are," Keller
told Fine Dining Lovers. "When we started this almost nine years ago, we
promised Monsieur Paul [Bocuse] that we would get gold. I'm really, really
proud today that we're able to honor him."
That moment USA is announced as the gold winner of the 2017 Bocuse d'Or. Photo: Thomas Keller
By Merrit Kennedy/NPR