The FIFA World Cup is over, but an event that’s essentially the World Cup of cuisine is about to begin in New Orleans.
Two related global culinary competitions, Bocuse d’Or and Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (aka the Pastry World Cup), are held with such prestige that for chefs it really is like striving for a global championship.
They are showcases for peak performance in pursuit of national glory. Reputations are minted in their winners’ circles. Supporters follow them from home to cheer their progress, many clad in national colors, waving flags and singing anthems.
Supporters cheer on Team USA during the Bocuse d’Or Americas qualifier round held at the New Orleans convention center June 2024. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
BY IAN MCNULTY | Staff writer
The finals for both are held every other year in Lyon, regarded as the gastronomic capital of France.
Like sporting championships, these competitions each have qualifying rounds. In order for national teams from North America and South America to reach the finals, the road once again runs through New Orleans.
Chefs in New Orleans for the Bocuse d’Or and Pastry World Cup Americas selection gather at a reception at Arnaud’s Restaurant to sample local Creole cuisine prior to the international competition. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
This continental qualifying round is called the Americas Selections for Bocuse d’Or and the Pastry World Cup, and they’re both happening this weekend (July 25-26) at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where an exhibition hall will be turned into an arena-sized competition kitchen.
It’s bringing world-class chefs, their coaches and their supporters, who include names from the highest levels of global cuisine.
Chefs who took part in a host committee dinner for Bocuse d’Or Americas in New Orleans included (top row, from left) Ashwin Vilkhu, Kristyne Bouley, Baruch Rabasa, Emeril Lagasse, Jerome Bocuse and Chris Nye and (bottom row from left) Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and E.J. Lagasse. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
This year, the competitions are being held in conjunction with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Showcase, the industry group’s annual trade show. That means rather than general admission tickets, access to the competitions is through trade show registration, which is open to people who work in the hospitality field. For guidelines and registration see lra.org/showcase.
“There’s a real sense of excellence to all of it,” Lagasse said. “Some of the best chefs in the world are bringing teams they’ve coached to compete, and they’re spending time in New Orleans, visiting our restaurants, seeing what New Orleans cuisine is about now. We’re welcoming them with open arms.”
What it takes
No ordinary cooking contest, the dishes created in these competitions are one-of-a-kind works of culinary art. Dessert platters might fill entire tables and can resemble life-sized sculptures rendered in chocolate and sugar. Savory dishes are intricate as jewelry displays, but must also taste as good as they look.
The theme on a platter entry for Team USA at Bocuse d’Or 2025 was an interpretation of East Coast lobster roll through the California culinary landscape. (Contributed photo by Julien Bouvier)
JULIEN BOUVIER
Competing chefs are chosen through trials and testing. They spend months away from their restaurant jobs training with assistants and coaches on everything from technique to managing their kitchen space, knowing judges will watch every aspect of their performance.
These international teams are now in New Orleans in the days ahead of the competition, finalizing their preparations in borrowed kitchens around the city. Emeril’s Restaurant, for instance, is hosting the Bocuse d’Or Team USA, while the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute hosts Pastry Team USA.
Josh Johnson, a coach for Pastry Team USA this year, was a competitor on the American team that won a bronze medal in Lyon in 2015. He described the intensity of the competition as “a combination of a marathon mindset and riding an off-road mountain bike trail. You have to make split-second decisions and execute with accuracy and confidence.”
Team USA, including lead chef Stefani De Palma, commis Bradley Waddle and coach Sebastian Gibrand, compete during Bocuse d’Or, known as the World Cup of cuisine, held at Sirha Lyon food trade show in Lyon, France. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Committing to compete at this level draws on different motivations, Johnson said.
“It’s a passion for the craft, the pursuit of excellence, the honor of representing the United States on a global stage (and) personal growth,” he said. “For every chef, it is the moment when all of those things come together, the chance to discover what you are truly capable of.”
New Orleans as host
When New Orleans hosted both events for the first time in 2024, it was the first time the competitions had visited North America to increase its visibility in new markets.
New Orleans hosted the Bocuse d’Or Americas qualifier round in June 2024, which drew culinary talent and stars from around the world. Pictured during the competition are (from left) Florent Suplisson, director of Bocuse d’Or; Susan Spicer, Alon Shaya, Daniel Boulud, E.J. Lagasse, Nina Compton and Thomas Keller. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
“We could not think of a better place than New Orleans. We have that connection through our history — we’re French cousins,” chef Jérome Bocuse, president of Bocuse d’Or, said when New Orleans was selected to again host the qualifying round. “It was all so wonderful there last time, it was all that we could have wished for.”
Bocuse d’Or was created in 1987 by his father, the late chef Paul Bocuse, the father of French nouvelle cuisine. He wanted to make the world’s most rigorous culinary competition. Today, teams from 24 countries take part in the finals, after advancing through continental-based qualifiers.
In New Orleans, the Pastry World Cup qualifiers begin the competition on July 25, when seven teams representing Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and the U.S. will compete. Three will advance to Lyon.
Bocuse d’Or follows on July 26, with eight teams representing Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and the U.S. Five will advance to Lyon.
Competition access is through LRA Showcase trade show registration, which is open to people in the hospitality business. See registration information lra.org/showcase.
Dining and Cooking