30 Jan Worlds Final Paul Bocuse Chef Competition
Worlds Final Paul Bocuse Chef Competition
Iconic restaurant Paul Bocuse is a must when visiting LYON. I am in Lyon this week to support Kenneth and Christian in the World Finals Chef Competition. “ It’s a Bocuse d’Or moment “ I arrived a day early so I could visit Paul Bocuse, where nearly every dish has a historic story behind it.
Every day, year after year, Paul Bocuse serves the same dishes, old fashioned dishes and delicious , while it’s not for everyone, I love and am impressed with the idea of meals made like in the old days. The restaurant was full on a Sunday evening so we were placed on the last table in the kitchen, which was a real treat. We chose the Paul Bocuse full set menu and below are the three highlights for me:
Pumpkin soup with a dot of cream, paired with this lovely Pommery, Brut Royal with its crisp bubbles left my palate feeling fresh. A small but outstanding dish, two spoons and it’s gone, keeping all the full pumpkin flavors and colour in one spoonful
A glass of Pommery & amuse bouche at Paul Bocuse , Lyon
Truffle soup , which was created in 1975 for the French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing when Paul Bocuse was appointed ‘Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’. The soup is served 100% in the same way, with a puffed pastry top looking like a chefs hat, and below in the dish is a clear delicious beef bouillon soup with stewed diced beef pieces with some offal and vegetables as the texture, and loads of black truffle grated generously in and between.
180 covers of this delicious soup was serve this day, we watched at least 80 of these plates go out, an exceptional amount and the chefs worked like troopers.
Breese chicken – Volaille de Bresse truffée en vessie”. The chicken, which is served in two courses is presented at the table in a veals bladder and then the bladder is removed, unveiling a fabulous truffle stuffed chicken which is then carved in front of you. Magnificent!!
Watch here “Poulet de Bresse en Vessie” Poached truffled Bresse chicken, stuffed with truffles under the skin and cooked in a veal bladder, inflated like a football.
To my delight, a refresher in between the many courses was something sweet, a refreshing granita with raspberry and cassis aromas, an ice crushed mouth cleaner made by a Beaujolais winemaker, which is a wonderful way to cleanse the palate.
Granité des vignerons du Beaujolais
All in all, it was well worth visiting a day early to experience this old age tradition and food culture once again, which Lyon must be so proud of. To be honest, my motivation for arriving a day early for the competition was to help raise money & awareness for this good cause.
The Paul Bocuse Chef Of The Year competition finals, happens every two years. This year for Denmark we have talented Kenneth Toft Hansen on the hot seat. All money raised goes towards financing the coming chefs and the competing Chef, the kitchens and utensils, and other items needed to be able to compete on this high level platform.
Kenneth Toft Hansen Bocuse d’ Or 2019 LYON
The organization that manages this competition Bocuse d’ Or Denmark , are all volunteers, many with full time jobs, who work around the clock after work and weekends contributing to a group effort to creating a winning team.
It’s expensive business to participate in the competition. I believe the government should provide much more support, considering that the competition raises awareness of their state or country, particularly if you become a podium winner, which puts your country on the map of excellence. Also, that sparks a great deal of pride! Kenneth, our current chef has won a few times and strives today to be a winner, he is together with Christian Wellendorf his Commi , whom also was voted Commi of the year 2018/19 by Bocuse d’Or Organisation .
Christian Wellendorf Bocuse d’Or 2019 LYON
so we keep our fingers crossed and beam with pride at his strong effort, and of course when he wins! Though there are great gastronomy sponsors from the Danish Food industry who support whole heartily, we still need more cash sponsors to ensure a sufficient and consistent cash flow.
I have talked about fund raising and good causes before, therefore I will not repeat myself; however, I understand it is difficult to convince people to part with their hard earned money. However, I find most people do not mind donating funds (if they can afford it) if their are some benefits, which do not have to be egoistic, rather to help another person who is truly in need. The causes are varied, and some times are related to sickness or poverty; however, you can also support a worthy cause to help a person who is working hard to succeed in their field.
I say no to a lot of causes as I am inundated with requests, and I realize after trying to spread my support so thin, I can’t save the world, therefore I am selective and choose the causes I support based on my personal preference and need. The Worlds Final Chef Competition is one of the charities my family supports and I decided to put myself out there as a volunteer to raise funds around an industry that interests me and my family works within.
The great news is you can also be a sponsor! It is quite simple – order a date with the chef, he will come and cook for you at home or your office for an important business meeting or with a group of friends, especially if the are foodies. Our current chef Kenneth and his Commi Christian will cook one of the high level competition dinners, equally as good as they are doing in the competition , just for you and I assure you that you will never get a dinner like this – ever! These dinners are set courses, instructed and demanded to be made in a special way, adhering to strict rules applying to a style and method of cooking. It takes months to master a menu, and then cooking under extreme time constraints, limited kitchen space, and technique. The main dinner must be served hot to the awaiting judges and to perfection, and taste out of this world.
If you want to try one of these dinners let me know! The cost of the dinner goes toward supporting the upcoming competition financing. You can always be a fan, which is far less costly and include a train or plane ticket and a hotel. As fans often follow those they admire, and in this business as many others, it is important to have a fan base shouting and screaming for your success.
With the support of our chef Rasmus Kofoed from restaurant Geranium we wish good luck to Kenneth and Christian !
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