Bocuse d'Or

Countdown to Bocuse!

It’s Wednesday evening, and there are just Thursday and Friday left to get everything else done before I head off to France on Saturday.  The days keep getting busier as the date gets closer, and there’s plenty to do both at home and at work.  My 15 month old daughter has just gone to bed, and I’ve got a few minutes to regroup, so yes it’s about as busy as it gets, but the payoff is pretty great too.  Part of me is hoping for a dinner invitation or two, so I can casually say “oh, I’d love to, but I’ll actually be in France that week…”.

I promised you a bit of a rundown on the Bocuse d’Or.  There’s some great info at www.bocusedorcanada.ca , including a list of Canada’s Laureates.  In a nutshell, here’s what it’s all about.  Picture this - 24 countries around the world are invited to compete in Lyon, France, every two years.  Many more wish to compete, but the Bocuse d’Or is very selective.  Competitions are held years in advance in each country to decide who gets to go and represent the cuisine and the skill of their entire nation - David Wong tried for 6 years before he earned the right to compete for Canada.  Most chefs, as hard as they may try, never earn this right.

The podium has been elusive over the past 20 years.  It is dominated by the European countries, and the French have shown a particular affinity for it.  In fact, no North American competitor has ever reached the podium.  The closest any North American Chef has ever come is - heartbreakingly so - fourth place.  This best ever North American finish at the world’s toughest culinary competion is held by Canadian Chef Robert Allen Sulatycky, currently of the Beverly Hills Hotel, and more importantly, the coach and Mentor Chef to this year’s Canadian Chef, David Wong.  As I write this, David is in the skies over the ocean, en route to France, in the company of Robert, as well as Chef de Mission Vincent Parkinson, the man responsible for organizing Canada’s role in the international competition.  A day is set aside to overcome jet lag, and then the final practices begin.

Imagine that David has been working on essentially two dishes for the past two years.  Tweaking, refining, discarding and starting anew.  Honing to perfection, and then practicing over and over again, on a full time basis, for the past six months.  This has literally been his full time job, the culmination of a dream almost a decade in the making.

The goal is in sight.  In Lyon, David will practice for the last time.  In front of thousands, yes thousands, of screaming fans (they take their food seriously in Europe) and global media by the hundreds, he will offer up two immaculate silver platters sparkling with the highest representation of our culinary art.  David and Grace will make this offering to twenty seven culinary judges, including the competition’s namesake, Paul Bocuse, arguably the world’s greatest Chef.  In front of the world, judged against the best, by the best. 

Is it any wonder he’s been training with a sports psychologist?

The Bocuse d’Or is the world’s toughest culinary competition, and David has shown the passion, the skill, and the taste that can showcase Canada’s great culinary talent.  As the Executive Chef for Moxie’s, David’s Title Sponsor, I couldn’t be more proud of David, or Moxie’s for providing such great support.

The countdown continues!  Three more sleeps!

WELCOME!

A brief introduction is in order.  My name is John Humphreys, and I am the Executive Chef for Moxie’s Classic Grill, a Canadian Premium Casual Restaurant Chain with just about 60 locations across Canada.  We have had the privilege of welcoming over ten million guests this year, and I am delighted that our hospitality and my food keeps them coming back!  Moxie’s is the proud Title Sponsor for David Wong, the Canadian Chef Candidate for the Bocuse d’Or.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve been proud to work with Chef David Wong and help support his six year quest for gold at the Bocuse d’Or World Culinary Contest in Lyon, France.

Over the coming week, I’ll be gearing up to fly off to Lyon, France as a part of David’s support team.  Once I’m in France, I’ll be posting a daily blog here to keep you all posted on what we’re doing, what we’re eating, how the practices are going, where we’re eating, what we’re seeing in the amazing markets and even better - what we’re eating!  Did I mention that we’ll be doing some eating?  Until then, over the next seven days I’ll post some information on what the Bocuse d’Or is, how Moxie’s has come to partner with the Bocuse d’Or, and what we’ve all done together on the road to get here.

You can always get to this blog through www.moxies.com, or by visiting the David Wong Facebook Fan page - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/David-Wong/8848998268?ref=s - I encourage everyone to join David’s fan page to show their support for David and Canada on the World Culinary Stage.

John