In just two days, four finalists will compete for the much-coveted spot to represent the US in the most prestigious culinary competition, The Bocuse d’Or. Now you may be thinking, “The Bocu-what?!” For those who haven’t heard of it (not to worry, a lot of Americans haven’t heard of it either) the Bocuse d’Or, is in a way the Olympics for the culinary world. Every two years, a team of two chefs from 24 finalist countries gathers in Lyon, France to contend in the most rigorous taste, technical skills, creativity, and presentation battle for the title of the World’s Best Chef.

Dominated by the French and Norwegians, the United States have yet place since the Bocuse first took place in 1987. But renowned Executive Chef of Cafe Boulud and past USA competitor Chef Gavin Kaysen hopes to change that. Having competed in the 2007 Bocuse d’Or finals, Chef Kaysen saw firsthand the rigidity of the competition and the United States’ place in this world class culinary contest.

Since then, the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation was started by top world chefs and supporters of the Bocuse d’Or, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Jerome Bocuse (son of the famed Paul Bocuse, for whom the competition is named after), in order to raise funds and help train the USA finalist team in preparation for the Bocuse finals in Lyon, with Kaysen as a coach.

With the USA finals occurring this very weekend, we wanted to ask Chef Kaysen more about the Foundation and what the Bocuse d’Or should mean to the US. Read More

Photo: Monika Sziladi

By: Cyndi Amaya

When one thinks back to how they got where they are today, many can attribute their current successes to support from their parents. For born and raised New Yorker, Chef Josh Eden, this is no different as he always attributes his guidance towards the kitchen to his mother. That support led him today to his new position as Executive Chef of August in West Village, NYC.

Yet, Josh’s mom was but one of the huge culinary mentors he’s had throughout his career. I caught up with Chef Josh for more insight to what led him to August, and here’s what had to say… Read More

Photo: Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune

With the New Year comes new hopes and wishes, and sometimes news; some news good and some bad. One piece of alarming news that came with this New Year was the closing of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. With Charlie’s 25-year legacy coming to an end, naturally I knew I had to pay tribute to one of my greatest mentors to date. As we’ve heard, Charlie Trotter is closing his famed Chicago restaurant by choice in order to pursue a graduate degree and continue with his travels. The fact that a three star restaurant is closed solely for personal reasons and not economic after a 25-year reign, speak volumes for itself. While many restaurants close every year, very few close voluntarily or much less after such praise for its continuous tenure. Upon hearing the news, I wanted to point out what Charlie did not only for the American dining culture but what he accomplished as an individual throughout that same time span in celebration of his next career goals.

What can I say, besides that Chef Charlie Trotter is one of the most inspirational American chefs that I have ever encountered. Read More

Ever think you’d see the famous Chef Rick Bayless partake in a full-on magical theater performance? Well buckle your seat belts, because you’re in for a ride! Rick Balyess is working in collaboration with Lookingglass Theater Company on the production of “Cascabel: Dinner – Daring – Desire, an unforgettable theatrical adventure featuring a sumptuous feast, world-class circus acts, and a tantalizing love story starring celebrity chef Rick Bayless.”

If a dinner with the menu created by Rick Bayless wasn’t magical enough, the chef himself is also acting in the production Read More

Thank you to all of those that joined us for our Celeb Chefs’ Kitchen 101 Twitter Chat! We had a great Twitter chat with celebrity chefs and food experts Bryan Voltaggio, Daniel Boulud, Michael Chiarello, Hillary Mickell from Foodily, Veronica Chan from Gojee, and Amanda Hesser from Food52. Followers were able to ask us any kitchen or culinary question that came to mind. The Macy’s sponsored Twitter chat was a great success and the ten followers with the best questions were entered to win a free cookbook.

Food Republic did an awesome job of assembling an all-star cast and the questions from followers were certainly engaging! Followers asked everything from cooking pork shanks to the chef’s favorite ingredient that they can’t live without. Here’s a short recap of some questions that followers were able to personally ask some of their favorite celebrity chefs and their responses. Read More

Every year StarChefs.com hosts it most grandiose event, the International Chefs Congress and this year’s 6^th Annual celebration was held at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. For three days, more than 80 of the world’s most influential and innovative chefs, mixologists, and sommeliers gathered at this culinary symposium to celebrate, learn, and present the latest technologies and concepts to hit the culinary world. Participating industry professionals were invited to partake in an extensive trade show, cooking demonstrations, and other informative seminars that discussed all things food and drink. Read More

Today for Seeing Red, we take a look behind-the-scenes where all the magic happens in Red Rooster- the kitchen! Chefs Charlene Johnson-Hadley and Rachel Hien are both line cooks for Red Rooster and can always be found behind the line with warm smiles and laughter. Their different backgrounds play a large role in their culinary careers and in these two quick interviews, we get a closer look at the Red Rooster’s talent. Read More

Photo: Derek Gavey

By: Melaina Gasbarrino

The world of cooking is no longer just based on dining out and experiencing top chef’s masterpieces. Today, top chefs are developing a plan to focus on the future of the world’s well being.

This past weekend, nine of the world’s top chefs met in Lima, Peru at a “G9″ summit to discuss the future of gastronomy. Read More

Chef Marcus and Chef Michael. Photo by: Thomas E. Briglia

Red Rooster Harlem

Today, Red Rooster Harlem chef/owner Marcus Samuelsson announces the appointment of Michael Garrett as executive chef.  Read More