Today I was one of four professional judges at the Jeune Commis Competition held each year by the Chaine de Rottiseurs organization. Competitors must be 27 years of age or less and today there were three of them. Two of them work at Roy's and one works at the Oahu Country Club.
I congratulated all three of them and told them that I admire any cook who puts themselves out there to compete. In the end, no matter who wins, they all win and will all be better for it. You compete within yourself to strive to improve on your craft and these competitions provide the venue that pushes you to reach farther than just the everyday grind.
In critiquing, I fell back on my one, two and three that's in the Blue Tomato cookbook: 1) seasoning or the lack of seasoning can make or break your dish; 2) balance is critical; some of the dishes could have used a touch more "acid" to brighten their flavors; 3) execution. In their mystery basket were two ducks, 16 baby abalones and one whole kampachi with which they had to prepare four plates. Duck is not an easy thing to cook; if not properly executed, it might be overcooked and tough, or if the fat is not rendered from the skin, it will be rubbery and tasteless. The picture of the dish here is a surf and turf, a duck roulade and an herbed kampachi.
Today reminded me of Sonny Acosta Jr. (one of the cooks at our restaurant) and his latest competition at the Culinary Institute of America. I used to compete in American Culinary Federation food shows, and these competitions stir up fond memories and remind me of a certain time in my career. The competitions trained my eyes for what to look for in a dish presentation, and it also required a great amount of time and practice; you had to have the mental and physical stamina to persevere over very long periods of time without sleep. It was a great time.
~AW