Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Chefs Competition 2014 Takes Places under the Auspices of Özyeğin University Le Cordon Bleu

Özyeğin Üniversitesi

Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Chefs Competition 2014  
Takes Places under the Auspices of
Özyeğin University Le Cordon Bleu
 

The Turkish eliminations of the “International Young Chef Competition” organized by Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the international gastronomic society, since 1977 to offer young chefs the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and creativity will take place at Özyeğin University under the auspices of Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul, on Monday, May 12, 2014.

This year, the competition will be held for the 18^th time by Chaîne des Rôtisseurs to promote and support young chefs; and provide them with a platform to share their culinary experience and skills in a truly competitive and international setting, and the Turkish leg of the 18th edition of the International Young Chef Competition will take place at the Le Cordon Bleu Center for Excellence at Özyeğin University.  

The Competition Starts with Mystery Baskets
13 young chefs no more than the age of 27 from Turkey’s prestigious 5-start hotels and restaurants will start a challenging gastronomy marathon at the Le Cordon Bleu Center for Excellence as of the morning of May 12, 2014. The competition will kick off with the distribution of a mystery basket containing several ingredients to each contestant.  Using all of these ingredients, the contestant will prepare  a 3-course menu including an entree, a main course, and a dessert, for four people within the first half-hour (30 min), and then prepare and serve the dishes for 4-persons within a three and half-hour (3,5) time frame. The menus to be prepared and served in 4 hours will be judged by the competition jury on taste, presentation, originality, culinary techniques, organization skills, professionalism, hygiene and time management.
 

The Jury Made Up of the Connoisseurs of the Gastronomy World
The competition will be chaired by Mohamed Hammam, President of Chaîne Des Rotisseurs Turkey, and the jury will be chaired by Chef Erich Ruppen, featuring prominent figures including Le Cordon Bleu Master Chef Gilles Company, David Shipman, Nicolas Cartier, Ali Ünal, Rudolf Van Nunen, Yılmaz Öztürk, Maximilian Thomae, Ali Davut, Elif Denizci, Nihal Bursa, Güven Osma and Tuluy Ergörül.

 
The Competition Can Be Watched Simultaneously in More Than 80 Countries
The competition will be aired live to 24.000 members of La Chaine des Rotisseur in more than 80 countries. The members and everyone interested can watch the competition live at

http://www.digiturkplay.com.tr/chefscompetitionlive.html  on Monday, May 12, 2014, from 11:00 to 15:00.
 
Education Award to the Winner of the International Young Chefs Competition by Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul 
The winner of the competition’s Turkish leg will be entitled to join the international competition to be held in Durban in South Africa on September 5, 2014. Should the Turkish winner also win the international competition held in Durban, s/he will receive a scholarship from Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul.
 
This year, the competition will be organized with the media sponsorship of Digitürk / Turkmax Gurme and with the product sponsorship of Metro Group, which celebrates its 50th anniversary.
 
Further details about the competition is available at https://www.ozyegin.edu.tr/lecordonbleuistanbul or 0216 564 93 98.
 
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GASTRONOMIC SOCIETY OF “CHAINE DES ROTISSEURS”:
The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international gastronomic society, traces its origins back to the Middle Ages when the first professional guilds were established in Europe.
 
These first professional guilds played a major role in the development of fine arts such as classical music, literature, painting and theatre. Among these, culinary arts were developed by the Guild of Spit-Roasters, Les Ayeurs, which was constituted in 1248 by St. Louis, King of France.
 
As in all other guilds, the members of Les Ayeurs were comprised of apprentices, companions and masters, each of whom received their titles after successfully proving their professional skills to the Elders.  

Les Ayeurs were given the special privilege of roasting geese, which was highly appreciated and prestigious back then.
In 1610, Les Ayeurs were bestowed with Royal Patronage as well as the official coat of arms of the Maitrise des Rôtisseurs.  The logo of the guild consists of two crossed turning spits and 4 larding needles. The flames represent the hearth, while the chain represents the pulleys used to turn the spits.   The guild sought to establish and perpetuate the standards of culinary quality befitting to the royal table. Soon, the craft of the Guild encompassed the preparation of all meats and fowls. In time, the activities of the Guild, under royal patronage, culminated into the development of apprentice program, wage and work standards and the conferment of appropriate honors. This powerful Guild continued to grow until the French Revolution, when in 1791, it was eventually disbanded like all other guilds.

Although culinary arts continued to flourish, it was not until 1950 that the spirit of the guild was revived again when three gastronomes, Cumonsky, Prince of Gastronomy, Dr. Auguste Becart; and Jean Valby, joined their forces with two professional chefs, Louis Giraudin and Marcel Darin, and pledged to restore the spirit of the Guild. In 1950 the team founded the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and the original coat of arms of the ancient guild was restored by the French government. Today the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is established in 80 countries including Turkey and has  24,000 registered members.