Australian Chef Alex McIntosh and Commis Chef Tristan Spain have been selected as one of five teams from the Asia Pacific region to compete in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or Grand Final, to be held in Lyon, France, 22-23 January 2023.
The four other teams from the region joining Australia on ‘The Road to Lyon’ are China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
Accompanying the Aussie competitors to Lyon will be Bocuse d’Or Australia President Tom Milligan, Coach Dan Arnold and Jury Member Scott Pickett, all of whom are past competitors themselves.
Alex was selected as Australia’s representative in the world’s most elite culinary contest at a national competition held in February at Foodservice Australia in Melbourne.
He came ahead of three other contenders to win the ‘Golden Knife’ trophy and title Bocuse d’Or Australia 2022. Tristan Spain was named ‘Best Commis’ of the competition and offered the position on Team Australia.
Due to the pandemic, the regional Bocuse d’Or Asia Pacific selection was held online, with chefs required to submit a recipe and concept for a plant-based dish that included tofu as the main protein.
The selection committee also took into consideration Team Australia’s organisational structure, support from sponsors and industry, and the calibre of the team members.
“Alex’s dish, Australian Black Truffle & Macadamia Tofu with Flavours of the Coast and Forest, is simply stunning and this is an incredible achievement for him,” says Tom Milligan.
“We could not be more delighted to be joining 24 teams from around the world in Lyon, all vying for the golden statue of the competition’s founder, Monsieur Paul Bocuse.”
Tom explains that under new Bocuse d’Or rules, a chef other than the President must be nominated as Australia’s representative on the international judging panel.
“I can think of no better chef than Scott Pickett to be our Jury Member,” he says. “He knows exactly how high the standards are and has a palate honed by many years of cooking at fine dining level.”
Taking on Scott’s former position as Team Coach is Brisbane chef Dan Arnold, who trained in France with Bocuse d’Or 2005 winner Serge Vieira and achieved Australia’s best ever result at the 2017 Grand Final in Lyon, at eighth place.
“Having competed recently and been coached himself by French culinary heroes Serge Vieira and Romuald Fassenet, Dan is the perfect mentor and role model for Alex and Tristan,” says Tom.
“We are entering a new era for Bocuse d’Or Australia, and I can’t wait to see what this team achieves next.”