After over a year of training, Team USA, comprised of Chef Phil Tessier and his Commis Skylar Stover, podium for the first time in the competition’s history.
(New York, NY; January 28, 2015) – The ment’or BKB Foundation proudly announces Team USA’s podium placement of second place in the 2015 Bocuse d’Or cooking competition in Lyon, France! Over the course of the past two days, 24 teams of the most gifted culinary minds from across the world competed on behalf of their country and represented their nation at the World Cooking Contest. Team USA competed on January 27 and presented the acclaimed panel of judges with a stunning meat platter of Barrel-Oak Roasted Guinea Hen with sausage of guinea leg confit, white corn mousse, and black winter truffle, “Garden of Sweet Peas” with French Laundry garden blossoms and herbs, sugar snap peas, and black trumpet mushroom panade, “Beehive” with boudin of smoked guinea liver, grapevine honey, pistachio “Pain des Genes,” wild fennel buds, and topaz wine glaze, Black Truffle Consommé with ragout of gizzard and heart “confit,” steamed custard, and flowering cress, White Corn “Nest” with buttered corn pudding, crisped corn silk, and “petit” popcorn, and Preserved Chanterelles with salad of frisée and garden blossoms, pickled huckleberry, and “foie gras” jus. The gorgeous fish plate showcased Brioche-Crusted Brown Trout Pave with American caviar, tartelette of crisped skin, garden dill, celery branch “Farci,” celery root puree, compressed apples, brown butter emulsion, and smoked mushroom consommé. Both the meat platter and the fish plate were designed by the lauded Martin Kastner.
“I’m honored to have represented the USA at one of the most well-respected culinary competitions in the world, surrounded by esteemed culinary talent from all over the globe,” says Chef Phil Tessier. “Training for the Bocuse d’Or was a humbling process, and we diligently prepared as best we could. Learning from our Coaches and Board was an invaluable experience, and I’m proud that as a team, we were able to work together to achieve second place and be part of culinary history for the USA.”
“Chef Tessier is an outstanding representation of the talent we have in the United States, and we’re incredibly proud that, for the first time in our history of competing in the Bocuse d’Or, we placed on the podium,” says Chef Thomas Keller, president of ment’or. “From the start, we were confident that he would successfully lead Team USA, and have thoroughly enjoyed mentoring him through this incredibly rigorous training process. American cuisine has significantly progressed in recent history, and Chef Tessier’s talent is an example of the strides we are making in our field. Our hope is that America continues to support our endeavors to showcase what great chefs and cuisine we have in the United States.”
Often dubbed the “Culinary Olympics” the Bocuse d’Or is among the most demanding international cooking competitions, and chefs competing cooked for five hours and thirty five minutes in front of thousands of cheering fans. The competition takes place every two years. Team USA is recruited, trained, and funded by the ment’or BKB Foundation, a leading nonprofit organization devoted to inspiring culinary excellence in young professionals and preserving the traditions and quality of cuisine in America. Ment’or was founded by Chefs Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and Jérôme Bocuse, all of whom train Team USA along with Coaches Gavin Kaysen of Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis, MN, Gabriel Kreuther formerly of The Modern in New York, NY, Grant Achatz of Alinea and Next in Chicago, IL, Dave Beran of Next in Chicago, IL, and Richard Rosendale, formerly of The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV. For more information about the Foundation visit www.mentorbkb.org or find the organization on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About the ment’or BKB Foundation
The ment’or BKB Foundation is a nonprofit organization that aims to inspire excellence in young culinary professionals and preserve the traditions and quality of classic cuisine in America. Ment’or is led by a Board of Directors including Chefs Jérôme Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, and Thomas Keller, as well as an esteemed Culinary Council of over forty renowned chefs nationwide who act as mentors for young chefs, serve in an advisory capacity to the organization, and participate in fundraising events. Educational grants and internships are offered to young professionals through the Grants Program. A series of Young Chef Competitions offer yet another opportunity for young professionals to further their careers in the culinary world. Ment’or is also responsible for recruiting, training, and financially supporting the promising young American chefs who compete on behalf of the United States in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or competition, held in Lyon France, every two years.
