Ment'or BKB Aims For A U.S. Gold In The 'World Championship Of Cuisine'

I recently spoke with Philip Tessier, the former executive sous chef at French Laundry, who led the US team to an unprecedented silver medal at the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition held in Lyon, France every 2 years since 1987. Until this year, the US team had never made it into the top five. This year, the US, led by Tessier, came in second. According to Tessier, much of the success is due to support by Ment’or BKB, the brainchild of chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jérôme Bocuse. I spoke with Tessier about his experience in the competition, the importance of a nonprofit organization stepping in to help the US level the playing field against nations with more established cuisine cultures, and the prospects for American cuisine, both at home and on the world stage.