Tomorrow, the US Team Competes in the Bocuse d'Or

Grid View

• Corey Siegel, Gavin Kaysen, Richard Rosendale
• Corey Siegel, Gavin Kaysen, Richard Rosendale
• Roland Passot, Thomas Keller
• Gavin Kaysen
• Daniel Boulud and Corey Siegel
• The US team meets Paul Bocuse
• Gavin Kaysen and Gabriel Kreuther
• Corey Siegel
• Gabriel Kreuther and Gavin Kaysen
• Richard Rosendale
• Corey Siegel
• Roland Passot
• Dave Beran
• Monica Bhambani

Earlier today the finals of the Bocuse d'Or kicked off in Lyon, France, with a handful of teams from around the world. But tomorrow, at around 9:20 AM local time, the U.S. team of Richard Rosendale and commis Corey Siegel will finally have the chance to get their country on the podium for the first time in the now-esteemed cooking competition's history. The cooking itself will take about five hours, after which it will be determined who in the world — in the past, usually the Scandinavians — can best put together elaborate and expertly prepared platters of fish and beef that stun and please the international judges table.

The energetic and noted chef Daniel Boulud, who owns several restaurants across the U.S. and in Canada, is one of the founders of the Bocuse d'Or USA foundation. He is one of the key players, along with chef Thomas Keller, in the push to turn the U.S. into a global power in the cooking competition named after Boulud's teacher. After almost a year spent consulting with Rosendale, a seasoned competitive cook and the man responsible for the food and beverage program at the massive Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, Boulud feels the U.S. team is "extremely strong." They've been training with the likes of Grant Achatz, Gavin Kaysen, Gabriel Kreuther, and more. In a conversation earlier today, Boulud described that he witnessed that many of the first-day teams competing today went with a more conventional presentation of the beef tenderloin, the competition's assigned meat, that tended to be rounder. "The U.S. team has something a little more different and rectangular," says Boulud, which could end up being a pleasant surprise. Or somewhat jarring for judges. We'll know later in the afternoon tomorrow how it plays out.

Boulud senses that the team has also better internalized the notion that the fish platter, for the first time, should be adapted to be more of a restaurant dish rather than just a platter. The first day's chefs, says Boulud, for the most part did not fully take advantage of the opportunity and just portioned off-the-wall presentations into smaller dishes.

That being said, Boulud feels that the strongest teams are showing up tomorrow, and the U.S., strong as they may be, have their work cut out for them. Hopes are high, but as this competition has always proved, anything can happen. Tune in for a live webcast beginning at 3AM EST.

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