Canada at Bocuse D'Or 2007

Picture perfect

2007-01-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

An article was run in this week's Burnaby Now newspaper capping the competition. According to the article, Chef Jaeger's Halibut and King Crab dish placed 5th overall, while there were hollandaise issues with the Guinea Fowl dish. Another fact: this year's French competitor, who won first place, had a budget of $1 million and hadn't worked at all in the past year. Kudos to Chef, who, with a budget of a mere $75,000 and a restaraunt to run, still wowed us all!

Read the article here.

Some more pics for you all, of Chef Jaeger in action!

Update

2007-01-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

Amidst all of the sightseeing and hobnobbing, Arianne found time to fill me in on Chef's final placement in the competition. While I don't know the final standings for the other competitors, Chef Jaeger did place 7th overall in the competition! I'm told that Team Jaeger is enjoying themselves immensely in Lyon, and hopefully will have a few pictures to send me soon!

Congratulations Chef Jaeger and Brody White! Time for some well deserved r&r!

Chef Jaeger's creations:

2007-01-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Halibut and King Crab Platter:

Slow-cooked "rack" of Norwegian halibut wrapped with Norwegian King crab, black truffles and braised leeks, crab and tarragon glaze, tomato "pearls"

Garnish 1: Pickled golden beet with Norwegian crab and fennel salad under anise cured tomato

Garnish 2: Sweet English pea tart with "cipollini" onion custard

Garnish 3: Warm carrot jelly with salsify center and carrot "air"

Poulet de Bresse Platter:

Poulet de Bresse "en cocotte" with apples, Canadian rye whiskey, Black truffles, chanterelles and Artisan bacon, plum apple glaze

Garnish 1: Crisp potato cup with poached quail egg and Hollandaise sauce over chicken liver mousse

Garnish 2: Warm haricots verts and walnuts over shallot quince jam and confit of Butternut squash

Garnish 3: Thyme-roasted mushroom with foie gras and celeriac fondant, Albufera sauce

A job well done

2007-01-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

Were you watching?? Around 10 am this morning the judges delivered their final decisions. And the winners are:

Gold: Fabrice Desvignes for France
Silver: Rasmus Kofoed for Denmark
Bronze: Frank Giovannini for Switzerland

Special Prizes:

Fish prize: Sven Erik Renaa for Norway
Meat prize: Markus Aujalay for Sweden
Best poster: Kotaro Hasegawa for Japan
Best culinary identity: Kotaro Hasegawa for Japan
Best commis-chef prize: Chang Yung Lua for China

We are still awaiting to hear how Chef Jaeger placed out of 24 countries. I will have all the detailed pictures of Chef's contending entries as soon as blogger fixes its bugs!

Congratulations Chef Jaeger and Brody White for successful completion of the 2007 Bocuse D'Or! We are proud to have Canada represented by you, and we hope you are as satisfied as we are! Thank you!

Watch it live!

2007-01-23T18:50:00.000-08:00

This just in! Sent to me by Pear Tree cheerleaders (Thanks Lisa and Arianne!), this is a link to a live video feed of the competition! The site is in French, but if my elementary-school level French is right, it will begin airing the entire day 2 competition live, starting at 10am Lyon time (which should be 1am Vancouver time).

Who needs sleep?

Bonne Chance!

2007-01-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

The day has arrived! Chef Jaeger competes tommorrow morning, although with France being ahead 9 hrs, we will recieve the results around11 am our time. A few facts:

*Jager and White will have 5 hrs to complete their work, from feathering/boning to plating.

*There will be an assigned kitchen helper, usually a young apprentice chosen by Bocuse D'Or officials to assist in the kitchen, which each team can delegate whatever tasks they wish to.

*The competition starts at 9am, with the 12 competitors staggered approximately 15 minutes apart; each competitor must be in their kitchen at 9am and wait until the signal is given to start (meaning Jaeger and White will have approximately 2 hours to kill!)

*Two meats each with three accompanying garnishes for 12 judges = 96 invidually prepared portions

*Potentially 40 points for taste, 20 points for presentation

*The kitchens are in stalls side by side facing bleachers of fans and supporters, who will be cheering and taking photos the entire duration

*Scoring operates much like figure skating: highest and lowest scores are tossed out, and Chef Jaeger is scheduled to go after perennial favorite France, which is potentally a good starting position (much like skating after the Russian competitor at the Olympics!)

Although I have yet to hear from Team Jaeger i do have a link to another article written in the Burnaby Now.

Bonne Chance!

Setting it Straight

2007-01-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

This week's edition of the Georgia Straight features a story about Chef Jaeger and the Bocuse D'Or. Read it here!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Bon Voyage!

2007-01-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Team Jaeger flies out today at 8pm! Hopefully the flight is peaceful, and there are no troubles getting carry-ons full of custom metal moulds onto the plane! (No, seriously, officer, it's this cooking competition.....)

Bon voyage!

Practice makes perfect

2007-01-14T20:33:00.000-08:00

The preperation for the Bocuse D'Or has been all about the details. Chef Jaeger has spent the last two years getting to know his assigned meats, tweaking the side garnishes, having custom moulds made to achieve a specific look, and obtaining the finest ingredients Canada could offer in order to attain the highest of standards for his final product. With only a few days remaining until Team Jaeger packs up and sets off for France, the experience and training is all behind them, and now the countless hours of preperation will pay off. Without revealing too much about the final product, here is a look at Chef Jaeger's kitchen during an intensive practice run.

Extra!

2007-01-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

An article ran on the front page of today's Vancouver Sun newspaper highlighting Chef Jaeger's forthcoming trip to Lyon. Read it here.

Wondering who is who in the poster depicted in the last post? From left to right:

Robert Allen Sulatycky - currently the Executive Chef of the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, Sulatycky achieved fourth overall and "Best Meat Platter" in the 1999 Bocuse D'Or representing Canada. That placement is to date the best finish for any North American chef, and this year he returns to represent Canada, this time as a judge.

Michael Noble - recently took the helm of Earl's Restaraunts, Noble is a past Bocuse D'Or competitor (1995, 1997) who is supporting Jaeger's endeavour through Earl's sponsorship as well as being Team Manager for Canada.

Scott Jaeger - Canadian born, Jaeger was recruited by the Waldorf Hotel in London, England and moved on to restaraunts in England, France and Switzerland. Holds the position of Vice Conseilleur Culinaire of the Chaine de Rotisseurs, and he now owns and operates The Pear Tree in Burnaby, BC with partner Stephanie which is entering its ninth year of operation.

Bruno Marti - Executive Chef of La Belle Auberge in Ladner, BC, Marti is a world-renowned chef who has recieved numerous awards and honors in his lifetime. Jaeger completed his apprenticeship under Marti's guidance, and Marti now accompanies his protege as he competes on the international stage.

Brody White - having completed Thompson River University's Culinary Arts program in 2003, White worked in Ciao Thyme Bistro in Whistler and Fresco Restaraunt in Kelowna before taking on apprenticeship at The Pear Tree Restaraunt. White serves as commis-chef to Jaeger in the 5 hour competition, and has been training alongside Jaeger for the past 18 months in preperation for the Bocuse D'Or.

Official Press Release

2007-01-10T16:06:00.001-08:00

The following is the official press release issued at a press event held today at the Pear Tree Restaraunt. Many members of the press braved the relentless snow to enjoy a sampling of the dishes Chef Jaeger will be contending with, and to hear Chef Jaeger and Chef Michael Noble, past competitor for Canada, elaborate on the rigorous proceedings and obstacles facing Chef Jaeger this year.

Vancouver, B.C. - Scott Jaeger, supported by apprentice Brody White, both of the Pear Tree Restaurant in Burnaby, are making their final preparations before leaving for Lyon, France to represent Canada at the 2007 Bocuse d'Or culinary competition.

The Bocuse d'Or is one of the premier international cooking competitions in the world. It is organized under the stewardship of famed French chef Paul Bocuse, and is held every two years in Lyon, France. Two days of intense cooking culminate in the presentation of the Gold Bocuse trophy to the overall grand winner. The 2007 Bocuse d'Or is taking place on January 23 and 24, 2007. During the past five competitions, Canada has made excellent progress but is still hoping to break the European hold on the winner's podium.

Twenty-four chefs from around the globe representing their respective countries are invited to vie for top honors by preparing two platters for service of 12 persons using two specified ingredients. As Paul Bocuse likes to say, "Cooking is simple!" The two chosen ingredients are described as "everyday products that are not all that simple to cook, thus leaving a great deal of scope for the contestants' culinary skills. " He was correct! This year, the competitors must work with Norwegian halibut and poulet de Bresse! The difficulty of these theme ingredients coupled with the five-hour time limit for preparation and the intense pressure of performing in front of thousands of rabid cooking fans from all corners of the globe provide for a great cooking spectacle.

Each competing country may send only one representative chef to this competition - Scott won the right to compete in Lyon at the Canadian Culinary Federation's National Selection Competition in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in 2004. He had the opportunity to attend Bocuse 2005 to learn about the markets, conditions and pressure in Lyon allowing him to be better prepared for his time on the world cooking stage.

The Canadian judge at the competition will be Robert Allen Sulatycky, currently Executive Chef of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Robert was Canada's Bocuse d'Or competitor in 1999.