UK Academy announces chefs lined up for Bocuse d’Or challenge

The UK Academy for the Bocuse d’Or has announced the chefs who will compete to become the next British candidate in the Bocuse d’Or. The candidate will be selected following a three hour 45 minute cook-off at the National Skills Show in Birmingham NEC on Saturday 18 November.

The Bocuse d’Or is considered the largest and most prestigious culinary competition in the world and reaching the podium is akin to winning an Olympic medal. A UK chef has yet to reach the podium, but an impressive line-up of chefs will compete for a place in the National Skills Show competition. The successful candidate should go on to compete in the European final of the Bocuse d’Or in Turin, Italy on June 11-12, 2018.

The competition will take place at The Skills Show, the UK’s biggest careers event, in recognition of the need to develop the skills journey from trainee to award winning chef. The opportunity to hold the selection at the show was kindly offered by UK Skills, cementing the relationship between the Bocuse d’Or UK Academy and the national skills body.

The chefs in the running are:
• Adam Thomason MCA, executive chef, Restaurant Associates, Deloitte London
• Chris Hill MCA, premier sous chef, The Ritz London
• Frederick Forster MCA, executive chef, The Don Restaurant London
• Tom Phillips, head chef, Restaurant Story
• Tony Wright MCA, senior lecturer University College Birmingham and Bocuse d’Or candidate 2016

The chefs must prepare a fish dish using Fjord trout and lobster as the main products and a meat platter using a short saddle of lamb as the main product.

The fish dish will be served as six individual plated portions with three different garnishes for each portion and a suitable sauce. The meat dish will be served on a silver platter with three different garnishes and a suitable sauce.

The jury will be led by UK Team President Brian Turner CBE and will include vice president and Bocuse d’Or UK candidate 2013 and 2015, Adam Bennett MCA of The Cross at Kenilworth, technical director of Team UK and executive chef of The Ritz, John Williams MBE and two Michelin starred chef, Idris Caldora, former Bocuse d’Or candidate and coach of Team UK 2015 team and Bocuse d’Or ambassador, Claude Bosi of Bibendum. Philip Tessier, who secured silver for Team USA in the Bocuse d’Or 2015 and went on to coach the winning team in 2017, will also join the jury.

Chair of the UK Academy, Andreas Antona says, “We have learnt a lot since our disappointment in Budapest, when we failed to win a place in the final and we have regrouped to become a stronger unit. With five fantastic chefs in the running, we’re already in a stronger position than previous years. We now need to secure the financial support to give the candidate everything he needs to realistically achieve a place on the podium within the next four years.”

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