Excitement is building over the performance of the American team at the biannual Bocuse d'Or cooking competition in Lyon, France, sometimes called the Olympics of Cooking. French teams have won six out of the past 11 contests, Norwegian teams three, and Swedish and Luxembourgian teams one each. The Americans have never won.
In the contest, chefs from 24 different countries race to prepare 12 portions of an elaborate meat and a fish dish in five and a half hours, each team working in tiny cubicles before a live, flag-waving audience. Each chef gets one apprentice, who must be 22 or younger. The winner is determined by the quality and presentation of the food.
This year's American team is led by Timothy Hollingsworth, the 28-year-old sous-chef at the French Laundry. He's been training up to 50 hours a week in a replica kitchen, with his own personal coach.
The venerable French chef Paul Bocuse, for whom the contest is named, says he hopes the American team will win this year. "We'd really like this competition to cross the Atlantic," he said.Check out their progress at the official Bocuse d'Or website.
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