For ‘Le Taittinger’ international Prize of Cuisine d’Auteur, the candidates were assisted by young commis chefs from the Cordon Bleu School in Paris. Two of them look back on this incredible experience.
A few weeks ago, the 56th edition of the Taittinger Prize awarded first place to Sweden’s Louis Dupuy-Roudel, from the restaurant Persona in Stockholm. Switzerland, represented by Kevin Vaubourg of Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne, took second place, while Belgian Paul Guenot of Ma Langue Sourit in Moutfort finished third on the podium.
Throughout the competition, a commis chef was assigned to work alongside each competitor. All came from the cooking school of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Among them was a young Iranian, Sahar Ghavidel, who worked with the Swiss candidate. The young woman was apprehensive as the experience was a dream for her. “Kevin really relied on me and I gave everything I could to help him,” she says. “I used to work as a pastry chef, so he relied on me to measure everything precisely. “I was very honoured to work with him, but also to have him trust me.”
A great professional bond formed during the few hours of this competition, so much so that the Swiss chef explained that, if Sahar was ever looking for work, he would be very happy to welcome her into his team. “He was very respectful, always asking me if I was having trouble or if everything was going well,” she recalls. He taught me techniques I did not know. I’m really grateful for that.”
A unique experience
Sahar Ghavidel came from far away to train in France, at Le Cordon Bleu school, Paris, after learning French at university in Nice, then learning patisserie skills at a bakery in the capital. This is also the case with Manjot Singh Hanspal, the Indian commis chef to the winner of ‘Le Taittinger’ International Author’s Prize for Cookery.
At 24, the young cook has an incredible track record. Before enrolling for Cordon Bleu training, he studied mechanical engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, for four years. “I’ve always been passionate about cooking and I knew I wanted to work in the world of gastronomy in one way or another,” he says today.
In the summer of 2022, he made the leap and became an apprentice chef at TimeOut Market Montréal, for Chanthy Yen, a renowned chef in Canada, who offers French-Cambodian fusion cuisine. Manjot describes his experience with the winner, Chief Louis Dupuy-Roudel: “I found him very calm, confident in his approach, right from the start of the competition. We had a few minutes to chat before setting up in the kitchen, when he explained his dish and inspiration. I was very impressed by his vision and the planning of his dish.”
The two men exchange views on their respective journeys, their culinary tastes. “I was amazed when I learned that he had worked with chef Paul Bocuse,” says Manjot Singh Hanspal. “At first, I admit I was quite worried about the mountain of tasks ahead of us. But the chef was prepared for everything. His instructions were clear and precise, the inventory and associated tasks were already well organised, he recalls. “Above all, Louis seemed to me to be a very good leader. He gave me clear direction and the confidence to succeed.”
At several points in the competition, the engineer-turned-chef found himself “late due to a technique or ingredient I didn’t know,” he admits. But Chef Louis patiently answered my questions and always kept my morale high.” He remembers the last thirty minutes of the competition as “the most intense. We had to plate up, but many elements of the dish weren’t ready yet. The chef remained calm, acted as a leader and maintained good communication with me.” The plates were ready on time and without any snags, the final result testifies to this.
And tomorrow?
With the page of the competition turned, each of the two commis chefs is looking to the future. Their training at Le Cordon Bleu school, Paris will be completed in a few weeks. It will be time to head towards new professional horizons. They will have the solid background of this experience in cooking in a major international competition. For Sahar it will be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. “I’m thinking about working for 2 or 3 years, to get some more experience,” she explains. Then I would like to settle there and open a café or restaurant.” Manjot intends to extend his experience of globetrotting cuisine and perfect his training “in gourmet restaurants in Europe and the United States. “I want to try to learn from the best. “There are very few Michelin-starred restaurants in Asia, so I hope to contribute in one way or another to raising my cuisine to the highest level”.
