16 chefs from the army and navy competed in culinary competitions in the prestigious setting of the Paul Bocuse Institute in Ecully, recognized as an international authority in the field of gastronomy.
Trident D’or is not a culinary competition like any other. He confronts the cooks from the army and navy. This Thursday, June 9, in Eculli, 8 couples were to review the dishes served in 1903. And it required quality and quantity. Double requirement, not usually common in this kind of competition.
The Lyons, Loic and Frédéric, are looking to catch up after a setback in 2017. They are more motivated than ever. This couple from Lyon has been working together for 5 years. “It’s a personal challenge and then an adventure that keeps the chef entertained.Loic says. His teammate, Frederik, shares his opinion.”It’s good to keep having projects, bounce back from problems, and move forward.“. After repeated practices, they feel confident.
Aprons, white hats and military uniforms. Everyone wears their uniform. Not a crooked medal, not a badly set hat. Everything is painted down to the second. Feels like a military organization.
Recipes of the day: Antiboise soup, sausage stew and egg cream. “For starters and desserts, these are dishes that were served to the troops in 1903,” says Loic. Sausage rougail is “a symbolic dish in the armies, especially in the navy,” explains Oliver Goodard, general commissioner of the United Catering Center.
Traditional military dishes worth revisiting. That’s the goal of chefs.
The clock is ticking slowly for the teams. The pressure builds up like in a pressure cooker. Almost whistling in the ears of the participants. The first duet starts at 11:00. Every ten minutes a new couple enters the kitchen. For 2 hours and 45 minutes, eggs beat, pots boil, knives knock on cutting boards. The temperature rises quickly. Technical and artistic work. “They are artisans, they have a passion for craftsmanshipsays Thierry Marx. Even in competitions of this magnitude, the excitement remains. “I do what I love, and that’s the most important thing,” Frederik assures with a smile on his face.
Here the task is to multiply. Each pair must prepare 6 plates per course. But “can a dish cooked for 6 people be cooked for 60, for 600?” says Thierry Marx. Therein lies the difficulty. Chefs must combine taste, aesthetics and the ability to increase the serving tenfold.
Paul Bocuse stands at attention. At least… his statue. Placed at the entrance to the institute that bears his name in Ecully, it welcomes the 16 contestants and Thierry Marx.
For this former soldier, the army is “a very interesting educational base, protecting certain values that we all need to remember.” The chairman of the jury, consisting of experts and great chefs, 3 criteria are fundamental for him. “When you have a beautiful presentation, an attractive smell and taste, you have a great dish.”
Loic and Frederic finished 5th. It is the Toulonians who will represent France at the Folly in Virginia in the USA.