The first Trophée Jean Rougié 2010

Thursday 01 April 2010

A contest that exalts foie gras, truffles...and youth!

This is a tremendous first! On the day of the Truffle Festival, this past January 16, the city of Sarlat was regaled by a new gastronomic event on a national scale: the Trophée Jean Rougié. This is a contest centered on foie gras and truffles and aims to let shine the creativity and talent of tomorrow’s chefs. Under the watchful gaze of top chefs, the press, an enthusiastic public and fans! Here’s the account of a day full of emotion and suspense.

Like the Bocuse d’Or and other grand culinary contests, there were eight of them, each set up in his own station, in front of the jury and the public. Eight students in Bac Pro or in BTS cuisine, they were finalists from the selection from among at least twenty hotel schools and CFAs of France. Highly focused and strongly motivated, they had to create in two sessions a pastry of foie gras and truffles as well as hot duck foie gras and truffles. Encouraged by their fans, teachers and the large crowd, the contestants vied over creativity and talent. It was hard for the jury to choose... but someone had to win. It was Clément Hernandez from the Lycée Hotelier of Toulouse who narrowly beat out Virginie Deveze of the CFA Ferrandi in Paris.

Meticulous organization

To insure that everything would run smoothly and successfully, the Trophée Jean Rougié relied on the energetic strength of a budding association: the Culinary Academy of Foie Gras and Truffles, that brings together Sarlat, Perigord Noir’s jewel of a city, the house of Rougié that has been in Sarlat since the late 19th century, and the house of Pébeyre who has dedicated its heart and soul to the “diamant noir” (black truffle) since 1897. The association took charge of logistics and event equipment, delegating Jean-Luc Danjou, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and technical director of the Rougié School of Foie Gras, the care of orchestrating the program of this grand day.

Support from the profession’s elite

When asked by the Culinary Academy to be in the jury of this new contest, the majority of our finest chefs eagerly accepted! The president of the jury, Michel Trama, 3 Michelin stars, was surrounded by 10 starred chefs, including Serge Vieira, Bocuse d’Or 2005. Together, these notable chefs gave heartfelt encouragement to the younger ones, inciting them to go to go forth with passion. But the highlight of the day, for the contestants as well as the public, was the awarding of the trophy by Jean Rougié himself, age 87. His touching and exceptional appearance was a fitting reminder that it was he, in the 1950s, who got foie gras to be known and loved across the globe.

Trophée Jean Rougié

Prizes to all the finalists!
The first winner of this trophy, Clément Hernandez, won internships at both the Rougié School of Foie Gras and at Fauchon, a Kitchen-Aid food processor, wine, foie gras, cookbooks, and a personalized jacket. And all the other finalists went home with armloads of gifts! Looking forward already to next year’s second edition of the Trophée Jean Rougié.

www.ac-foiegras-truffe.fr