Next Saturday, September 12, at the Palais des Expositions from 10 am to 5 pm, the second edition of the grand finale of the Niçoise cooking contest “Chef for a Day” will take place as part of the traditional Associations’ Gathering, for both young and old. Delicious and convivial moments to look forward to!
While last year candidates qualified directly for the grand finale, this year they have passed through regional finals which they won brilliantly to reach next Saturday’s grand finale. There will be 9 starting participants competing for the 2015 “Chef for a Day” title: Françoise, Elodie, Florine, Marie-Charlotte, Magali, Linda, Claude, Franck, and Bernard.
On the menu for this grand finale, you will also find the “pitchoun” finale, involving young chefs aged 8 to 15, who will need to show ingenuity in preparing one of the emblematic dishes of Niçoise cuisine.
The Schedule
In the morning, from 10 am, the qualification phases will take place. Young and old contestants will need to bring a “Sweet Swiss Chard Pie” which they will have prepared at home. This will be analyzed and tasted by the jury members who will select the 4 best entries in each category, allowing their creators to join the live finals in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, from 2 pm, the live events will commence, starting with a written test to assess the older participants’ knowledge of Niçoise cuisine and local products. Following this, the “pitchin” will take center stage with the first live culinary event where they will need to prepare one of the flagship recipes of Niçoise cuisine.
Finally, the older participants will return to the stage for their culinary challenge, during which they will need to prepare an iconic Niçoise dish traditionally, then reinterpret it using the same ingredients but with a completely different presentation.
An Exceptional Jury Will Judge and Score All Creations:
- Laurence Duperthuy: Notes de Cuisine and Variations Gourmandes
- David Faure: Chef and owner of Restaurant L’Aphrodite
- Eric Capuzzo: Culinary Professor at Lycée hôtelier Paul Augier
- François-Xavier Michaud: Culinary Professor at Lycée hôtelier Paul Augier
- Alex Benvenuto: Author and specialist in Niçoise Cuisine, writer for Lou Sourgentin
- Franck Bermond: Former President of Capelina d’Or and Culinary Professor
- Sara and Jo Issautier: Lou Balico restaurant
- Daniel Silvetti – Lu Fran Calin restaurant
- Luc Salsedo – Chef at Restaurant Luc Salsedo
Only after all these events will the names of the new “Chef for a Day” be revealed, and they will win wonderful prizes offered by the contest’s partners, which include: Génération Cooking, OGC Nice, Office of Tourism and Congress of Nice, Stade Niçois, MIN de Nice, the City of Nice, Théâtre Francis Gag, and Lou Sourgentin.
See you next Saturday, September 12, from 10 am at the Palais des Expositions to discover who the lucky winners will be!
