And here we go again for the Bocuse d’or, with the very first stage of the future 2025 edition, that of the French selection. Six candidates met this Friday at the Grand Palais Ephémère in Paris, surrounded by their fans and many professionals. Trout as the required ingredient. An appetizer and a platter for twelve people to prepare in four hours.
In alphabetical order: Damien Corneloup from Atelier Yssoirien (1 star) in Issoire (63), Jérôme Jaegle from the restaurant Alchémille (1 star) in Kaysersberg (68), Édouard Loubet, former coach of the France 2023 team and chef of the Grizzly in La Cluzaz (74), Paul Marcon from Restaurant Marcon (three stars) in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid (43), Hippolyte Peters Destract from Kabestan in Flourens (31) and François Vermeer-Merlen, the only one who is not not a cook but a former clerk who became a culinary stylist in Rhône-Alpes.
Naïs Pirollet, ex-candidate who became president
In front of them, eight prestigious jurors (Pascal Barbot, Romain Meder, Jessica Préalpato…) around the young president Naïs Pirollet, who knew what it was all about since it was she who represented France at the Bocuse d’or 2023.
And after having spent this hot day concocting their appetizers and their sophisticated platters, the verdict fell shortly after 7 p.m.: Paul Marcon is the big winner, followed, on the podium, by Jérôme Jaegle and Edouard Loubet. Jade Biagginifrom the latter’s team, receives the prize for best clerk.
“On the same subject and the same imposed ingredient, we were faced with six personalities and as many different approaches, the level was very good”, admits Naïs Pirollet for whom “the victory went to Marcon, but there is no no absolute recipe for winning.”
As with the other candidates, its appetizer had to combine trout and cauliflower. His platter was to enhance the marriage of trout with carrot and fennel. The first was perfect, the second impressive. First mission to come for the winner: to perform well at the Bocuse d’or Europe, which will take place in spring 2024 in Trondheim, Norway.
Like father, like son
Paul Marcon, youngest son of three-star chef Régis Marcon, always wanted to become a chef. Competitor, at only 16 years old, he entered his first competition – Worldskills France National Final – and placed himself on the second step of the podium. After making his mark in several starred establishments in Lyon, Paul Marcon decided to move to Stockholm for two years, in the starred restaurant Aira run by chef Tommy Myllymäki.
This experience allowed him to discover Scandinavian gastronomy, to better understand his culinary identity but also to reconnect with competition by preparing for the Jean Delaveyne Trophy, which he won at the end of 2022.