Paris is set to host the most glamorous culinary event of the calendar year, when 90 of France’s top chefs representing 115 Michelin stars gather under one roof next week to fete the country’s gastronomic heritage.
The gala dinner is set to be an emotionally charged event. Just a few hours before, the jury for the Bocuse d’Or France will have crowned the chef who will go on to represent France at the grand finale in Lyon in 2017.
The Bocuse d’Or is known as the Olympics of the food world, pitting chefs and countries against one another in the real kitchen stadium.
Likewise, the gala dinner, which will be held in the gilded halls of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, will gather a constellation of Michelin-starred chefs who helm the hottest restaurants in the country and represent the best of contemporary French gastronomy.
The dinner, meanwhile, could be described as a meal cooked up by a dream team.
Top chef Pierre Gagnaire has been tapped to oversee the menu, with chefs like Emmanuel Renaut of the triple Michelin-starred Flocons de Sel preparing the appetizer; chefs Rene and Maxime Meilleur executing the fish dish, and Christophe Adam, the pastry chef credited with making éclairs trendy at L’Eclair de Génie, preparing the dessert.
Likewise, the meat dish will be prepared by the man or woman named Chef of the Year, as voted by the top chefs across France. The winner will be announced on the eve of the gala dinner on Monday.
Here are some of the star chefs expected to be in attendance:
Cyril Lignac
Guy Savoy
Marc Veyrat
Anne-Sophie Pic
Yannick Alleno
Michel Roth
New this year, though the regional Bocuse d’Or France competitions have been reserved exclusively for trade professionals, the two-day event starting Monday will be opened to the public.
Le Diner des Grands Chefs will be held Tuesday, a few hours after the Bocuse d’Or France winner is crowned.
