Bocuse d'Or USA Finals - Epcot 2008, CIA 2010, CIA 2012

[ehagerty]

Somewhere, there is a professional shot of this - facilitated by hydraulic lift, multiple, coordinated flashes and a professional camera. This is the best I could do with limited equipment, from the bleachers!!

Toque Town, USA

The face of a competitive chef, in Toque Town, USA (Percy Whatley)

Day #1 Competition Chefs, Photo Op with Paul Bocuse

John Besh & Traci

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[ghidorah97]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Love your pics! Looking forward to Day 2!

 

[ehagerty]

Observing a platter

Judging the plates (foreground), while behind them, Epcot chefs line up to serve...

Fish Platter.....

..... detail

Beef Platter

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[ehagerty]

Fish Platter

Beef Platter

....with a close-up

Different Beef Platter Close-up

 

[dis-happy]

Wow. My knees are weak. THANK YOU for posting your gorgeous photographs for us and sharing the experience!!!!

 

[ehagerty]

Wow. My knees are weak. THANK YOU for posting your gorgeous photographs for us and sharing the experience!!!!

Hope Disney hosts again in the future! See you there!

 

[ehagerty]

This from an interview in allearsnet.com:

"Next year," Carey added, revealing that the Bocuse D'Or will return in 2009, "people will know better what it's all about and we'll add more seating capacity for more guests to watch the daily competition."

Not sure how it can return in 2009, as it is bi-ennial, but it is still encouraging to hear it is in the planning, regardless of when it shows up!!!

Link to full interview

 

[ehagerty]

Turns out, Chef Scott from V&A's wife is head of F&W. I'm getting ready to bundle this thread up and ship it off to her (through him)

 

[Sandy321]

Watching Top Chef the Bouse d'Or came into discussion (one of the winners of a comp got the right to compete for a place on the team)

thought I'd search and see how if there is any word of a return to Disney!

 

[ehagerty]

Watching Top Chef the Bouse d'Or came into discussion (one of the winners of a comp got the right to compete for a place on the team)

thought I'd search and see how if there is any word of a return to Disney!

I heard from a chef - Artist's Point, I think - that Disney MIGHT get the dessert Bocuse d'Or USA finals this upcoming Fall - but I have no idea how to find out.

 

[wasabi girl]

Thank you for this great thread! I am ever so glad I stumbled across it, I'm planning a group trip to F&W next year and to see this would be the icing on our proverbial cake!

 

[TDC Nala]

At this point we can't even be sure when the opening date of the festival is, as we now have two different dates - September 24 and October 1 - announced by Disney.

Hi Ellen

 

[Brian_WDW74]

Unfortunately, the Bocuse d'Or finals will not be held at Epcot next year. They will instead be held February 4 - 7 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

 

[ehagerty]

Thank you for this great thread! I am ever so glad I stumbled across it, I'm planning a group trip to F&W next year and to see this would be the icing on our proverbial cake!

Yes - it was entertaining - and something different. Still cannot tell where the pastry competition will be held, so there is still hope it could be at WDW.

At this point we can't even be sure when the opening date of the festival is, as we now have two different dates - September 24 and October 1 - announced by Disney. Hi Ellen

Hey TDC_Nala. Still thinking about Lyon, 2011!!! Actually, my vacation calendar for 2010 is already pretty well scheculed, and the DVC DCL and F&W are not in it. Still could happen - but only with a professional conference or equivalent in the area.

Unfortunately, the Bocuse d'Or finals will not be held at Epcot next year. They will instead be held February 4 - 7 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Thanks for the tip - I may try to make it - only 6 hours away!!!

 

[ehagerty]

Unfortunately, the Bocuse d'Or finals will not be held at Epcot next year. They will instead be held February 4 - 7 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Thanks to this "heads up", I will be attending the Feb 5-6 Bocuse d'Or event at CIA. I live about 6 hours away and have already submitted a request for my gala tickets!!

ghidorah97 - you live pretty close, too - hope to see you there!!

 

[ehagerty]

Thanks to the Disboards (see post above), I found out that the 2010 competition would take place within driving distance. Didn't take long to secure hotel reservations, discover that the CIA has student restaurants (secure reservations for those), arrange for comp time and reserve a couple of gala spots.

Normally, this would be a slow, relaxed, reliving of the experience through posting pictures and providing some commentary on the non-visual. Normally. But there is a constraint I am contending with (in my own mind), that is, most of the students we interacted with - and photographed - are graduating TOMORROW, and I fear that, unless I post their pictures TONIGHT, they may not be aware they exist.

My mission is to post as many pictures as possible, without totally compromising chronology (which, in this case, affects the story line), before going to sleep (and getting up for work in 10 hours). And, she's off.....

My plan was to leave home around noon, for a 6 hour drive, to arrive near the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) with some buffer time, before our 7:30 reservation at Caterina de' Medici. I started work at 3:30 am (my project includes members from UK and India), and turned off the computer at 11:30 am. Jumped in the shower, ready to go at noon, but my traveling companion (DS21) and gotten a 1:00 message from DH. A little weary, and wondering if I might miss the reservation, we loaded the car (threw stuff in the trunk), and arranged granola bars and juice boxes for ready access in the back seat. We managed to arrive at CIA around 7:10, found the parking ramp (easily) and checked in for our reservation pretty much on time. I don't have many pictures, but here is what I have.

Table, Menu

Amuse Bouche

Appetizers

Bresceola, goat cheese

Salted Cod

Entrees

Trout (I know, it looks like salmon, but it IS trout)

Quail

Dessert

Cheese

Coffee Pane Cotta

Slightly crooked picture of the open kitchen and baking oven (left)

Unusual, but oddly pretty chandeliers - Murano glass (Munchkinland in glass)

Summary:

- Very pleasant meal
- Memory retention inversely proportional to fatigue
- Most entrees in the $20-$30 range (fair value, but not a major "deal")
- Range of entree offerings was wide - remeniscent of Disney-before-the-Dining-Plan. Each menu at the different restaurants had about 10 different entrees, none of them boring - quail, rabbit, sweetbreads, chateaubriand, boar chops (that's free range pig), trout, etc.

For more on the restaurant (description, reservations, etc.) CLICK HERE


I had made reservations at all the restaurants for the convenience of not having to leave campus between Bocuse events. It was slowly beginning to dawn on my that this adventure was going to be much better than expected.

Stay tuned!! (you know, SUBSCRIBE!!)



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[ehagerty]

Breakfast goal was to eat at the Apple Pie Bakery, finishing in time to be present at the first Bocuse event.

On entering Roth Hall (a former Jesuit Seminary, built in 1905 and sold to CIA in 1970's), we were greeted by this little chef showing the way. In a rack below his feet are menus for the day (breakfast - left, yellow, gone for the day, given the hour, and lunch - right, blue).

Waiting in line to order

Back side of rack of CIA-made food gifts for purchase - picture slightly askew (normally, I would take time to correct for tilted plane, but not tonight)

Partial selection of CIA-made food gifts, from the front

DS21 waiting for breakfast

I had an egg raclette (high quality variation on a familiar theme, that is, potato, ham and fried egg). It was very good.

DS21 had french toast - by FAR the best French toast ever - brioche bread (at least that is what it tasted like), perfect, light and crisp. Wonderful (and I am not a french toast fan - when I make it for the family, I don't usually eat it myself). Next time (see, I am already thinking about a return), I will have French toast, too!!

We shared a pain au chocolate - wow. I have an informal quest to locate and eat the perfect croissant - light, flaky, buttery-without-being-greasy - just the right amount and type of chocolate. Chef Migoya seems to have a formal quest to produce the perfect croissant - he provided a couple of tips at the gala - more on that later.....


I must have been hungry, because in a rare lapse, I forgot to take pictures!! Next time!!

If you want to know more about the Applie Pie Bakery, CLICK HERE

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[ehagerty]

We arrived at the Bocuse (student recreation center) a little early, allowing us to get oriented, and take a couple of pictures of this sponsor, along with student volunteers. They kept guests, sponsors, participants and judges hydrated with both sparkling and still water for the entire duration of the event. Thanks!

This woman is member of the family business.

I was curious (I am always curious) about how this system differed from the one installed at V&A. To me, the V&A water tastes like Perrier. This one tastes like Pellegrino. She explained that this system removes the non-natural elements, but leaves the salts and minerals intact - which would explain the similarity to Pellegrino. I like both.



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[ehagerty]

This was the first formal event, a demonstration of two lamb preparations by Richard Rosendale.

This picture shows how the competition booths are set-up (this is 1 of 4), including who is currently working in it. Each booth it set-up the same way, presumably, how they will be set up in Lyon. Chef Rosendale participated in the 2008 Bocuse (see previous pictures), and Lamb is one of the two competition preparations (the other, salmon). A lamb provider (American Lamb) helped sponsor this event. Chef Rosendale noted how difficult it is to work with an electric stove when you are used to gas. I presume they can't use gas in temporary installations for safety purposes (same reason they can't have them on cruise ships - also noted at Palo....).


Chef Rosendale accessing his powerpoint presentation (which appeared on large screen, overhead).

This lady served as host / commentator to fill in "space" when Chef was focused on the hands-on portion of the demo. You can see the judges table set-up for the panel discussions and next day competition.

Here you can see the media at work, Chef at work, and a large screen picture of his dish - where he replaces the lamb bone with a heart of palm. Of course, there is more to it than that, but that it about as much as you will get from me, working from memory, at this pace!!

Chef showing how to separate a lamb shoulder

Various students, sponsors and other Bocuse attendees watch Chef on big screen. Students have set out plates of samples of both dishes on the tables to the right. You heard correctly - FREE SAMPLES!!! Plenty for all. Yea!!! Why did I eat breakfast!?!?!

Students practicing their skills - front of the house. That evening, I would names for two of these faces - Stephanie (I think I heard them call her this name - sp?) on the left, and William (center), both working at Escoffier. More on that later.

Plated hot dish, with Chef's own engineered-design gigot (leg of lamb holder) - allows the guest to cut the lamb off the bone more easily.

Chef greeting guests after the demo

Chef has relocated from his own restaurant in Columbus OH to the Greenbrier.

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[ehagerty]

These very nice ladies represented another sponsor - All-Clad.

... chatting with Daniel Boulud

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