On top of the world
As the finals of the World Master of Culinary Arts were being held in Paris, it was no surprise that the French had high hopes of winning the award.
After all, France has long been regarded as the heart of the culinary world, and French chefs have won almost every international culinary award to date. In the end, though, it was passion, professionalism and lack of pretensions that helped US contender Thomas Keller, of the French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California, carry off the title. The presentation was made at a gala dinner in the sumptuous Salon Imperiale at the Hotel Inter-Continental, Paris, last Thursday (16 May).
Keller was one of seven chefs in contention for the award, alongside Raymond Blanc of Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, representing the UK and Ireland; Neil Perry of Rockpool, Sydney; Koon Yat Yeung of the Forum restaurant, Hong Kong; Guy Martin, of Le Grand Véfour, Paris; Fulvio Pierangelini of Gambero Rosso, San Vincenzo, Italy; and Jun Yukimura of Yukimura, Tokyo.
Grand jury chairman Roy Ackerman visited the restaurants of all seven finalists during the course of the judging. Recalling the meal he had at the French Laundry, he said he was not initially in the best frame of mind to enjoy himself. "I arrived after a 20-hour flight at a time equivalent to four o'clock in the morning at home and wasn't feeling great, but from the time I arrived until the time I left I had the most superb experience.
"From the food I ate, it is quite clear that Thomas is totally passionate about the produce and the way he and his staff handle it. The food was quite sensational; the flavours were amazing." Among the dishes that Ackerman enjoyed from the $120 (£82) 19-course tasting menu were confit of red beet salad with Périgord truffles, garden mâche and beet vinaigrette; pan-fried Maine diver scallop with caramelised Belgian endive and sauce hydromel; and Valrhona chocolate pudding with toasted brioche, extra virgin olive oil and fleur de sel.
"The restaurant was full of people enjoying themselves and that enjoyment seemed to permeate through the staff too," Ackerman said.
Keller's reaction to winning the inaugural World Master's award was one of humility. After being presented with the award by Sarah, Duchess of York, he told the 300 guests at the dinner that he would cherish the moment for the rest of his life. "Who would have thought a young boy from southern California should be standing here among these chefs, accepting this award?" he said.
Later, he spoke of the award as being a wonderful honour. "It gives a larger sense of responsibility to what I do and it will ensure that I will keep on striving to do better," he said. Well known as a chef who is rarely absent from his stove, Keller's visit to Paris to collect the award lasted for just two days. The future, however, will see Keller travelling a little more frequently, as he will open a second restaurant in New York in 18 months' time.
"It is to be situated in the AOL Time Warner building, which is currently under construction in Columbus Circle," he said. "It will be the same size as the French Laundry - about 60 seats - and will share the same philosophy. But although I will have a responsibility in New York, I will remain committed to cooking in California."
For those lucky enough to have experienced the food and welcome offered at the French Laundry, it is not surprising that Keller was chosen as the recipient of the first Wedgwood-sponsored award.
Two British chefs who have eaten at the French Laundry are Nigel Haworth, chef-proprietor of Northcote Manor, Langho, Lancashire, and Bruce Poole of Chez Bruce in Wandsworth, south London. Both deemed Keller a worthy winner.
"The depth of taste, the finesse and the simplicity of the food's execution convinced me that Keller was at the top of the tree," Haworth said, recalling with relish a meal that he ate at the French Laundry four years ago. "The meal was that good - I enjoyed something like 12 or 13 courses - that I couldn't pull myself away from the restaurant, and I ended up missing my return flight. The depth of knowledge that the staff had of the food and wine they were serving was truly professional - it blew me away. In the USA Charlie Trotter is known as the celebrity, but it is Keller who is regarded as the ‘cook's cook'."
Poole agreed. "Keller is a highly intelligent chef and very innovative, but without being daft and irritating," he said. "I'm delighted he has won."
The judging process
Selecting the first World Master of Culinary Arts was a mammoth logistical task, involving a judging process that scanned four continents. From the initial meetings of national juries 12 months ago to the final gathering of the grand jury in Paris on the day before the world final, the procedure resulted in many hours of heated debate.
To ensure the winner would stand up to the closest scrutiny - from all corners of the industry and media worldwide - as being worthy of the first award to carry the unofficial title of the "world's best chef", grand jury chairman Roy Ackerman put together a team of judges who he believed had both integrity and extensive gastronomic experience.
"I'm not sure how else you can select a winner other than put together an expert panel of independent people who have vast experience of various aspects of food and travel, as well as life in general," Ackerman said. "The only other way of doing it is by putting the candidates into some kind of gladiatorial contest, but I don't think you can expect world experts to do that."
National judging panels in each of the seven participating countries were selected from leading chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and gastronomes. The UK judging panel was made up of Richard Shepherd of Langan's Restaurants; Sir Terence Conran of Conran Restaurants; Nigella Lawson, food writer; Sir David Wright, group chief executive of British Trade International; and Rick Stein of the Seafood restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall.
The five or six judges on each panel submitted 10 nominations from which to select a representative to go forward to the grand final. An initial meeting of the judging panels drew up a shortlist of 10 candidates to consider, and unannounced visits were then made by the judges to each restaurant. Much debate - often lively - ensued to determine the winner in each country.
The first national winner - in Australia - was announced at a gala dinner at the Regent Four Seasons hotel in Sydney on 3 December 2001. Similar dinners were held over the next four months in Hong Kong, the UK, Japan, the USA and Italy. The French winner - Guy Martin of Le Grand V‚four, Paris - was announced immediately before Thursday's grand world final dinner at the Hotel Inter-Continental in Paris.
Once the seven national winners had been selected, the grand jury, made up of the captains of each national judging panel, set to work. Chaired by Ackerman, the grand jury consisted of Richard Shepherd from the UK; John Alexander, chief executive officer of ACP Publishing in Australia; Allan Zeman, chairman of LFK Holdings in Hong Kong; Yukio Hattori, president of the Hattori School of Nutrition in Japan; Ferdinand Metz, president of the Culinary Institute of America; and Enzo Vizzari, a journalist writing for Expresso, La Republica and Grand Gourmet in Italy; with Roger Vergé, chef-patron of Le Moulin de Mougins restaurant, near Cannes, France, and Michel Bourdin, formerly chef des cuisines at the Connaught hotel, London, sharing the captaincy in France.
Each member of the grand jury revisited the restaurant of the representative of their own country as well as two other winning establishments, while Ackerman visited the restaurants of all seven finalists. They carefully considered all aspects of the food they tasted, including its innovation, presentation, quality and seasonality of produce, its enjoyment and the culinary skills employed. Other criteria included the ambience and atmosphere of each restaurant, the knowledge of the waiting staff, the service, and the quality and choice of the wines. After marks had been awarded in each category, Thomas Keller emerged as the clear winner.
The seven World Master of Culinary Arts finalists
Raymond Blanc, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
Thomas Keller, French Laundry, California
Guy Martin, Le Grand Véfour, Paris
Neil Perry, Rockpool, Sydney
Fulvio Pierangelini, Gambero Rosso, San Vincenzo, Italy
Koon Yat Yeung, Forum restaurant, Hong Kong
Jun Yukimura, Yukimura, Tokyo
