Download Food Fight

THE MUSIC BLARES AND DISCO-WORTHY found in New York studio apartments. The chefs lights flash as two men in chef’s whites hoist and their assistants, along with one culinary a massive silver tray, heavy with veal and student appointed to each team upon arrival garnishes, and prepare to carry it across the in Lyon, have five hours to prepare the two 8ZlcèXipZifn[Z_\\ijfek_\Z_\]j% convention center hall. One of them walking main courses and six side dishes. Throughout Fggfj`k\18cc\p\jXi\fek_\m\XcZi\Xk`fej backwards, they step gingerly over TV camera the cooking, the judges wander by the kitchen XjZfdd`kk\\d\dY\ijZXi\]lccpZXiipk_\ cords as they pass in front of two long tables windows to mark the competitors on technique @kXc`Xek\XdËjjgi\X[kfal[^d\ek% of 24 judges, one from each country that sent and make sure they’re keeping everything—cut- a team to compete for the Bocuse d’Or, the ting surfaces, vegetables, rules—clean. As their world’s premier culinary award. Their tall, dishes go out, some chefs sneak a quick glance to crisp toques blanches sit at attention. Their faces see if they can gauge the judges’ reactions. It’s all give nothing away. Judging from America is the time they can afford before moving on to the Wolfgang Puck; from France, the competition’s next dish. They have to maintain concentration, host country, Jean Michel Lorain, chef and even when the fans on the bleachers across the owner of La Côte Saint-Jacques. Over two days room blast air horns. in Lyon, the judges will eyeball and taste 48 Held every other year at the International different main courses made with this year’s Hotel Catering and Food Trade Exhibition in must-use ingredients: 24 with veal, 24 with Lyon, the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest monkfish. They’ll also weigh in on 144 rather and its sibling competition, the World Pastry complicated side dishes, such as the U.S. team’s Cup, are open only to food industry insiders, baked cauliflower with crème fraîche and guests of the chefs, and the press. But con- Osetra caviar. The chefs must prepare three tinuous news coverage and broadcasts of the to accompany each main course. competition in a main town square let all of Behind the row of judges, 12 chefs push Lyon get in on the action. Through nine previ- forward with their own game plans, quietly, ous Bocuse d’Or competitions and eight World intensely chopping, and constantly tasting their Pastry Cups, the home team has dominated, dishes in progress. They’ve choreographed every picking up four gold medals in each. The only second and planned every move. Though many country that has troubled France repeatedly in of them—like Eyck Zimmer of The Lowry Hotel either competition is Norway. At the last event, in Manchester, England, and Haidong Wang of Norway’s young chef, Charles Tjessem, won his Beijing’s Ruilongyuan Hotel—command large country’s third Bocuse d’Or gold. kitchens and staffs at home, the convention cen- At this event, China and Lebanon are first- ter kitchens have more in common with those time culinary teams, and Jordan and Russia =ff[=`^_k K?<NFIC;ËJDFJK:FDG<K@K@M<:?<=JÇG8:B@E>K?<@I=8MFI@K<9LKK<IJ# @E8CPFE:FEM<EK@FE?8CCÇJ<<N?F:8EJK8E;K?<?<8K% 9PA<EE8J:?EL<IsG?FKF>I8G?P9PA<JJ@:88EKFC8 ))C<OLJD8>8Q@E< :?<=J9<>@E KI8@E@E>=FIK?< :FDG<K@K@FEJLG KFKNFP<8IJ@E 8;M8E:<#<E;$ C<JJCPK<JK@E> 8E;FM<I?8LC$ @E>K?<@II<:@G<J% C<OLJD8>8Q@E<)* joined the pastry competition, packing their chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles at knives, favorite butters, and custom-made Beverly Hills, has attended or competed in every serving platters for the shot at trophies, cash, single pastry cup since the beginning, cooking national pride, and international bragging in 1993 and 1995 and coaching in 1999, 2001 rights. Chefs begin training for the competi- and 2003. His team took the bronze in 1995, the tions up to two years in advance, endlessly silver in 1997, and the gold in 2001—making testing and overhauling their recipes. “The the U.S. a serious player in pastry. Wressell says hardest part is to find your concept and your he keeps going back through the punishing program,” says Friedrich Gitschner, a 2005 regimen for “the love of the game.” Bocuse d’Or candidate, in from Texas, where Though the flavor of the cakes and petit he’s executive chef of the Houston Country fours count for more on the judges’ scorecards, Club. He won the US selection for the Bocuse the clear World Pastry Cup crowd pleaser is d’Or in May 2004. “Then something in your the presentation of the sugar and chocolate gut tells you you’ve got it.” His “main interest” sculptures: one of each from each team. The in the Lyon competition, he says, was that chefs use blowtorches, hair dryers, and heating “nobody from the U.S. had won it.” lamps to coax the sugar into elaborate designs. :cfZbn`j\]ifdc\]k18d\i`ZXe\ekiXek=i`\[i`Z_ While the 2005 Bocuse d’Or contestants’ Powdery clouds float out from the kitchens as >`kjZ_e\iXe[XeXjj`jkXek29i`k`j_Z_\]<pZ_ platters stayed aloft, the pastry chefs weren’t all chefs use paint sprayers to add color to their Q`dd\igi\ggè^[`j_\j]figi\j\ekXk`fe2X jXmfipj\c\Zk`fe2al[^\j]ifd@Z\cXe[c\]k as lucky. In their competition, teams of three chocolate creations. As the pastry specialists Xe[AXgXei`^_k Z_\ZbflkXaljk$[\c`m\i\[ have to make a chocolate cakes, an ice bomb, a finish their sculptures, someone else on the gcXkk\i2X[\kX`cf]k_\L%J%k\XdËjgcXk\[gXjki`\j% number of plated desserts, a sugar sculpture, a team rushes out to dress their judging table Fggfj`k\1Zfdg\k`k`fe]fle[\i#GXlc9fZlj\# chocolate sculpture, and an ice sculpture. They with linens, lights, and, in one case, a smoke jliifle[\[YpZXd\iXj% cook for 11 hours straight. Donald Wressell, the machine. Then it’s time to move the sculptures 2005 U.S. team captain and executive pastry from the kitchens out to the tables. While )+C<OLJD8>8Q@E< C<OLJD8>8Q@E<), :cfZbn`j\]ifdc\]k1K_\L%J%k\XdËjgcXk\[ YfejYfej2k_\=i\eZ_k\XdËjc\X[\i YiXe[`j_è^_`j^fc[XnXi[j2al[^\j Nfc]^Xe^GlZb#Il[fcg_FYXl\i#GXlc 9fZlj\#Xe[KBal[^\j% 8; N?<I<KF=@E;N@EE@E>K8JK<J competition committee members and culinary moved on. They had a chocolate sculpture of students carry other dishes out for judging, only dancing dolphins to finish. K_fl^_dXepgif]\jj`feXcZffbè^Zfdg\k`k`fej the competitors themselves move the sculptures. At the end, as each team presented its final Xi\fg\efecpkfk_\è[ljkip#XiXe^\f]XdXk\li Nobody else is to be trusted. dessert, the chefs pulled the chocolate brown Zfdg\k`k`fej`jfg\ekfk_\glYc`Z%Nfibpfli The crowd quiets a bit each time another curtains closed on their kitchens. It was time Xgg\k`k\èkfX]i\eqpXkfe\f]k_\]fccfnè^1 chef steps out with a piece of sugar or choco- to clean up and wait. late architecture. Some chefs walk at a glacial Both award ceremonies were deafeningly J\\jXgi`j\kfe\n_\`^_kjXkk_\M\idfek pace with their teammates directing their every rowdy. Spectators stomped their feet, clanged DXgc\=\jk`mXcËjDXgc\:ffbè^:fek\jkè step. Others move forward at a steady clip while cowbells, and continued the barrage of air 8gi`cnnn%mkdXgc\]\jk`mXc%fi^ #n_\i\cfZXc holding upper body and sculpture as still as horns. Throughout the event, with just half the dXgc\]Xid\ijglkk_\ìjn\\knXi\jkfnfib% possible. France’s sugar masterpiece glistens teams competing each day, the bleachers were 9XiY\Zl\]XejZXe_`kk_\ifX[Xccjldd\i with botanically convincing orange flowers. fairly crowded. But today, with the final results cfe^kf]\Xjkfe\eki`\jXkZfdg\k`k`fejXifle[ Miniature versions of famous paintings on at hand, spectators from every country jammed k_\L%J%Knf\jj\ek`Xcg`kjkfgjXi\k_\Nfic[ Spain’s sugar sculpture would have made in to watch. Carrying their nation’s flags, the :_Xdg`fej_`g9XiY\Zl\:ffbè^:fek\jk Picasso proud. And South Korea’s terrifying chefs marched out and paraded in front of the èD\dg_`j\m\ipDXpnnn%d\dg_`jèdXp% mythical chocolate creature bares its fangs in stage that had replaced the judges’ table for the fi^ Xe[8d\i`ZXeIfpXc9XiY\Zl\è a way that would scare Willy Wonka out of announcements of the 2005 Bocuse d’Or and BXejXj:`kpnnn%Xd\i`ZXeifpXc%Zfd % the candy business. World Pastry Cup titles. >`m\èkf^Xic`ZXk:Xc`]fie`XËj>`cifp When small bits of sugar break off, it sounds The winner of each: “La France!” >Xic`Z=\jk`mXcnnn%^`cifp^Xic`Z]\jk`mXc% like ice clinking in a glass. In pastry, the Netherlands came in second, Zfd %=è[flk_fnZfek\jkXekjglkk_\ Total collapse sounds like a plate glass window and Wressell’s American team, third. YlcYkfnfibè[fq\ejf][`j_\j% has been smashed. Though France had taken so many golds before, I\X[pkfglkpflifnenfibfek_\kXYc\6 On day one of the pastry competition, this the French spectators went mad. And as confetti M`j`knnn%i\Z`g\Zfek\jkj%Zfdkf]è[ unmistakable variety of crash sounded from one showered down from the ceiling, the handsome k_\g\i]\Zkm\el\]fipflikXc\ek% of the kitchens.

Load more