USA Bocuse d'Or Team Announced

Bocuse d'Or USA announced the chefs who will represent the United States in the international Bocuse d'Or World Cooking Contest today, tapping Philip Tessier and Skylar Stover of the French Laundry to head the team in 2015.

Tessier is currently the executive sous chef at the French Laundry; Stover is the chef de partie. The competition, where chefs from 24 different countries compete in 5.5-hour cooking challenges, was created in 1987 and takes place in Lyon, France.

"I was extremely proud when chef Tessier approached me about applying for the Bocuse d'Or USA Team," chef Thomas Keller said in a press release. "I've worked with him for years and know he has all the technical and leadership qualities we are looking for in a candidate to lead Team USA to the top in 2015. We are excited to mentor him through this rigorous training process."

Mentors also include USA coach chef Gavin Kaysen of Café Boulud, and coaches Grant Achatz (Alinea), Gabriel Kreuther (The Modern), Richard Rosendale (The Greenbrier), and the foundation's board of directors Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, and Thomas Keller.

"I realized that the Bocuse d'Or is not an individual competition — it is in the strength of the team that success and victory lie. It's not just about preparing two dishes; it's about impacting the perception of American chefs and our country on the worldwide stage," Tessier said in a press release. "I want to unite the U.S. in that common goal." The USA team placed seventh in the most recent Bocuse d'Or competition.