January 2009 Archives

By the power of text messaging (competitors have been under lock and key), Guide Girl can bring you, hot off the press, news that Simon Hulstone and team GB has come 10th in the Bocuse d'Or 2009 competition in Lyon.

Norway claimed first place, then Sweden and France came third. Simon said that despite getting high points all the big teams came out on top, but team GB was commended on the food.

When asked if he'd do it again, he said, "ask me again next week  "...

There will be more details of the competition and its winners soon, so keep coming back!

Read more at Caterersearch.com >>

I'm back at the Bocuse d'Or 2009 for the second and final day of the competition. Today, the remaining 12 countries are cooking including the previous winner France, Norway, Singapore, Spain, the USA and Canada whose fans are even outdoing the Swiss delegation's performance yesterday in terms of noise levels.

I managed to sneak back stage after the competition last night and caught up with German chef Eyck Zimmer, who represented the UK at the Bocuse d'Or in 2003 and 2005. He let me in on a bit of scandal from the 2007 competition - in which André Garrett from Galvin at Windows represented the UK.

Apparently the German team claimed to have caught the French team on camera cheating in the competition. After France went on to win the 2007 Bocuse d'Or, Germany pulled out of this year's contest in protest. Mein Gott!

Being behind stage was quite an experience with heavyweights including Paul Bocuse himself, Alain Ducasse, Anne Sophie Pic, Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller hanging out. I must admit, I was just a little star-struck! 

After the competition ended last night, we went to one of Paul Bocuse's brasseries for dinner, which was phenomenal. While just a casual restaurant, the standards of both the food and service were comparable with any one-Michelin-starred restaurant I've been to in the UK. There's no denying it - the French know what they're doing when it comes to hospitality and Monsieur Bocuse it right at the forefront of his game. 

Back at the Bocuse d'Or today, I had a quick chat with the UK judge Brian Turner. He said he was "chuffed to bits" with Simon Hulstone's performance yesterday. "Simon made himself proud," he enthused.

But he warned that it's no mean feat to make it onto the podium. "It's a tough game and it'll taker a hell of a lot to get into the top three," he said. "I'm hoping Simon will win best beef dish. It'll be an amazing achievement for him and the UK, particularly since we've got Aberdeen Angus beef on the menu."

The winner will be announced at 6pm tonight after which we're all heading to Lyon's Centre de congrès for the 2009 Bocuse d'Or Gala Dinner. I'll be back tomorrow with news on the winner and all the gossip from the night.

I'm writing to you from the Sirha exhibition in Lyon, France, where I have been witnessing the 2009 Bocuse d'Or live in action, thanks to Nestlé Professional's Chef Jus range's kind invitation.

There are 24 countries spanning five continents competing in this year's contest including Australia, Brazil, the USA, South Africa, Japan, Spain, Sweden, France and, of course, the UK - represented by our very own Simon Hulstone, chef proprietor of the Michelin-starred Elephant restaurant in Torquay, Devon, and the current holder of the Knorr National Chef of the Year title. His right-hand man in the kitchen is Adam Smith, senior chef de partie at London's Ritz.

Each of the 24 countries is also represented by a judge and these include heavyweights such as the three-Michelin-starred Thomas Keller (USA) and Anne Sophie Pic (France), as well as the two-Michelin-starred Danish chef Rene Redzepi, and Brian Turner representing the UK. Then there's the "table des presidents" where none other than Paul Bocuse resides along with Daniel Boulud and Fabrice Desvignes.

So far, we've had 12 countries serve up their fish and meat courses including Brazil, South Africa, Switzerland, Australia, the Netherlands and the UK. The featured ingredients include Norwegian sea products and Scottish Aberdeen Angus beef.

All seems not well at Gordon Ramsay Towers.

News emerged earlier this month that the multi-Michelin-starred celebrity chef sacked his long-standing public relations guru Gary Farrow, after five years.

The move came just weeks after Ramsay was accused of having an extra martial affair, but Chris Hutcheson, chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH), called the decision a "rationalisation".

But ever since Farrow's sacking, the negative headlines have not stopped for Gordon Ramsay and I can't help but wonder whether it wasn't Farrow's departure that has opened the floodgates for all the bad press.

First there were reports last week suggesting Ramsay faces the prospect of an embarrassing court case after flouting the law on filing its accounts for two years running, with Companies House allegedly having started steps to prosecute.

Then he was forced to deny that two of his restaurants were up for sale after they were listed on a property website and over the weekend the Mirror claimed that bookings at his restaurants have seriously slumped in the face of the credit crunch.

Possibly the most serious allegation was published in the Express yesterday, which reported that GRH faces financial difficulties after it was claimed the troubled Royal Bank of Scotland is recalling a £10m business loan.

GRH's PR agency Sauce Communications continues to deny that there is any truth to any of the allegations but the refuting seems to be turning into rather a full time job.

The launch of the 2009 Michelin guide has been the topic of many a foodie blog this week. Here's a round up of what's been said.

Come Dine With Me highlights the launch of the 2009 guide for Great Britain and Ireland, while Cheap Eats points out Ireland's new Bib Gourmands and gen.u.in.ness lets its readers know that Alain Ducasse has been listed as a rising three-star restaurant. Eat Out gets excited about Casamia, Bristol's only Michelin-starred restaurant.

The Guardian's food editor, Matthew Fort, was one of the first to notice the results had leaked and he was quick to give his opinion on the winners and losers, while The Observer's Jay Rayner ponders whether Michelin has a bias towards French chefs and French cuisine.

The Independent's Rob Sharp finds that after Scotland is awarded four new Michelin stars, there's more to Scottish food than innards, stodge and deep-fried Mars bars.

The Metro's Marina O'Loughlin describes the award of two stars to Ducasse as "ludicrous" in her latest review. while the Hardens brothers are outraged not just at the results but also the fact that some of the food critics seem to value Michelin's judgement more than theirs.

No guidebook publications are anticipated as much as the Michelin Guide in the cheffing community.

So it was a bit of shame that it leaked out over the weekend rather than being revealed to all concerned in one mighty blow.

Nevertheless, this year's guide has caused great interest. Find out what Derek Bulmer, the guidebook's editor, has to say about this year's sprinkling of stars and then catch up with Claude Bosi, Angela Hartnett and Marcus Eaves - some of the 2009 success stories.

Welcome, dear readers, to Guide Girl, Caterer's new dedicated restaurant blog in which I hope to share with you my musings on our lovely industry.

I'll be gossiping and sharing news, reflecting on the industry and its big players, and, of course as the name suggests, talking all things Michelin, AA, Good Food Guide, Hardens and other restaurant guides.

And what better a week to start than this, with the Michelin frenzy still fresh on everyone's minds.

It all kicked off rather embarrassingly for Michelin, with the results somehow leaking onto the worldwide web. But technical glitches aside, it was a good year for UK chefs, with Michelin awarding a record 34 stars, bringing the total to 137, more than ever before. 

What's even more exciting is that we now have a record number of Michelin-recognised female chefs. And we're talking across the spectrum from Anna Hansen whose Modern Pantry has been awarded a Bib Gourmand; to Angela Hartnett's Murano gaining one star; Rachel Humphrey at Le Gavroche retaining two-stars and Clare Smyth at the three-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Keep up the good work ladies! 

For in depth coverage on the Michelin results check out Caterersearch.