Following a tense 1½ hours cooking, Adam Smith, head chef at The Devonshire Arms in Yorkshire, was awarded first place in the Bocuse d’Or National Selection at Hotelympia on Monday 28 April. Steve Love, chef patron at Loves Restaurant in Birmingham was awarded second place.
Smith was presented with the Bocuse d’Or UK trophy, donated by University College Birmingham, and the Villeroy & Boch winner’s plate. Love wins a trip to the Bocuse d’Or Europe in Stockholm next week, provided by Bocuse d’Or sponsor Nestlé Professional.
Provided current candidate, Adam Bennett secures a top 12 position on May 8th, both Smith and Love will have the opportunity to work alongside him as he prepares for Lyon in 2015.
Armand Sablon, head chef at Ten Restaurant at Cafe Royal and Rajkumar Holuss from The Ritz also competed in what the judges said was a very close final.
John Williams, chair of the Bocuse d’Or UK team and 2001 candidate, led the judges which included
Andreas Antona, former chef and restaurateur, Nick Vadis, culinary director of Compass Group and UK
candidate 2009 and 2013, chef proprietor of The Elephant restaurant and brasserie, Simon Hulstone.
Williams commented that every candidate demonstrated excellent technical and culinary skills in very different ways. “The standard today was excellent and congratulations to everyone who took part. We had some incredible talent competing today and our task of selecting the winner was not easy. So much can happen between now and 2017, which is why we’ve decided to take two chefs on the journey. We are very excited about the UK’s prospects with both Adam and Steve on board.”
The chefs had 1½ hours to prepare, cook and present three different hot garnishes, five portions of each suitable for decorating a Chicken Ballotine. In the style of the Bocuse d’Or, each entry was presented on a silver flat provided by Heritage Silverware, which also supplied the silver for Adam Bennett’s award winning meat platter in 2013.
The Bocuse d’Or
The Bocuse d’Or is the most sought after prize for chefs around the globe. Founded by culinary legend, Paul Bocuse, the contest has taken place in Lyon every two years since 1987. The Bocuse d’Or takes place at SIRHA – a hotel catering and food trade exhibition. 24 countries compete, 12 on day one and 12 on day two. With the help of a commis each chef must produce a fish dish and a meat dish, each with three
garnishes, presented on plates or silver flats to the jury of judges. The jury is made up of a representative from each competing country with Brian Turner, CBE, the UK juror. All this is performed in front of an audience of thousands of noisy and enthusiastic supporters and hundreds of journalists.
The contest provides a professional springboard for some of the most talented chefs in international gastronomy and is a showcase for the diversity of culinary traditions worldwide.
Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
Leading the hospitality profession by example; shaping its future through education.
Founded in 1980, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts is Britain’s leading professional association of Head Chefs, Pastry Chefs, Restaurant Managers and suppliers. While concerned with raising standards and awareness of food, food provenance, cooking and service, its objectives are primarily focused on the education and training of young people in the hospitality industry and the provision of career opportunities.
For more information click here