Chef from Historic American Resort Set To Represent America at Competition in France
By Vincenza Di Maggio

The pressure was on at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park this past January as four of the nation’s most talented chefs competed to represent the United States in the 2013 international Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France.

This years USA finalists, Chef Bill Bradley, Chef Danny Cerqueda, Chef Jeffrey Lizotte, and Chef Richard Rosendale were given 5 ½ hours to prepare two protein dishes, one using River & Glen Hookers cod, and one using d’Artagnan chicken, with three intricate garnishes.

The winner was Chef Richard Rosendale of the Greenbier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Eager and proud to represent America in the world-renowned competition, Chef Rosendale says, “Competing in the Bocuse d’Or has been a lifelong goal of mine. I have aligned much of my training over the years with the end goal of eventually competing in this event. I now have that opportunity and am practicing relentlessly to make history in Lyon. I don’t just want to compete in the event, I want to be successful and win. The training is much like that of an athlete, with the team of supporters, trainers, coaches and advisors that surround you. It impacts every aspect of your life, but that is what it takes at this level when competing in the international arena.” Chef Rosendale’s win in the USA finals is an achievement that members of the American culinary community are positively excited about, but the hard part has only just begun (winning the Bocuse d’Or is no easy feat!).

Since 1987 professional chefs from all over the world have competed in the biennial culinary competition striving to attain the acclaimed title of the world’s top competitive chef. On January 29th, 2013 Chef Rosendale will be competing against qualified and carefully selected representatives from 24 countries. For the next year he will train intensively under the guidance of his coach Gavin Kaysen who comments, “As the coach I’m here to help guide Richard through the process. We began our training right out of the gate after Richard won the Bocuse d’Or USA Finals. We actually just got back from visiting the Bocuse d’Or European Finals as part of a scouting trip. Throughout the year we will also have milestones in place for finalizing everything from the platter design to the garnishes. We’ve also brought on two other coaches, Grant Achatz to represent the modernist perspective and Gabriel Kreuther to represent the traditionalist point of view. Their input, my own experience competing in the event, and Chef Rosendale’s talent and hard work, will hopefully get us on the podium.”