Knives at Dawn by Andrew Friedman Read Free Book Online Page A

events; Chefwear came through with jackets for candidates and judges; Petrossian Caviar provided caviar for a planned gala dinner at Epcot; and on and on.
    Finally, after nearly three months of accelerated preparation, the Bocuse d’Or USA went public on May 28, 2008, with the launch of a Web site that greeted visitors with thunderous music (a hymn composed especially for the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon by Serge Folie in 2003) and a video montage of Bocuse d’Or moments. It was more ESPN than Food Network, depicting screaming fans, a media pit packed with photographers, and a medal ceremony.
    Press attention was swift: By two thirty that afternoon,
New York
magazine’s Grub Street blog was up with a post entitled “Everything You Wanted to Know About the Bocuse d’Or Competition But Were Afraid to Ask” detailing the involvement of Boulud and Keller, partially listing the Advisory Board, and linking to the application. “If you think you have the stuff to represent the United States in the so-called cooking Olympics,” wrote blogger Josh Ozersky, “just fill out the application, send it in to Bocuse d’Or USA, and cross your fingers. You might be the one who brings the glory back home.”
    Not all members of the inner circle welcomed the attention. Kaysen, who knew what was required to win, place, or show at the Bocuse d’Or, was concerned that it raised expectations that would be difficult, if not impossible, to meet. “If we didn’t walk out of that stadium with first, second, or third, people were going to take their shots at it,” he recalled later. But Boulud insists that publicity was essential to raising money and attracting the best candidates. To that end, the same day the Web site launched, a call for applications went around as Boulud disseminated e-mails and lettersto about three hundred restaurants—James Beard Foundation award winners, top
Zagat
-rated restaurants in key markets, possessors of Michelin stars, and so on—not necessarily urging the executive chefs themselves to apply, but rather asking them to encourage a talented staff member to get in the game.
    The application itself was much more than a name-rank-and-serial-number affair—it was the first elimination round, contested on paper, and it was a daunting document comprising several parts: biographical information on the candidate and the commis, plus a one-page resumé, a four by five-inch matte-finish recent photograph (in chef’s whites), two letters of recommendation, and a “letter of motivation” (750 words or fewer) described as “a personal statement for representing the United States at the Bocuse d’Or World Contest.”
    The applicants were also directed to share descriptions of the food they planned to prepare for the competition if they were selected: fish and meat dishes, each featuring the main protein plus three garnishes. “Harmony of flavor will be deemed very important, but we impose no constraints on competitors’ creativity in terms of preparation or presentation.”
    So that the Orlando event would double as a dry run for the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, the teams were to use many of the same proteins that would be used in France. The selections change every two years. In 2009, they would be seafood from Norway (Norwegian fresh cod, Norwegian king scallops, and Norwegian wild prawns). The beef would be Scotch Beef Aberdeen Angus (oxtail,
côte de boeuf
, beef cheeks, and one whole fillet [tenderloin]). The Bocuse d’Or USA candidates would not be using the same brands of fish and beef, but they would be required to employ a similar combination of types and cuts.
    The last page of the application was a pledge form in which the candidate promised to be available for all events related to the Bocuse d’Or, and to “train intensely” for the Bocuse d’Or, working “closely with chef coaches (provided by Bocuse