Current Student Wins Commis Competition
Hyde Park, NY – A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America will be defending the gold medal won by the United States at the 2017 Bocuse d’Or, the world’s most prestigious gastronomic
competition.
Matthew Kirkley is head chef of
Team USA 2019 after winning a cook-off last weekend in Las Vegas, NV that
mirrors the format of the Bocuse d’Or. Chef Kirkley and the other finalists had five hours and 35
minutes to prepare and present a platter composition and a plated dish to a
panel of judges. Kirkley, executive chef of Coi in San Francisco, will now spend the next 14 months
preparing for the global competition to be held in January 2019 in Lyon,
France.
“Since 2007, when I first saw the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, I have dreamed of competing for my country on the world’s
greatest culinary stage,” Chef Kirkley said. “I look
forward to the challenges ahead, and to work with the great group of people
that make up Bocuse d’Or Team USA.”
It has been an autumn of milestones for Chef Kirkley, whose restaurant last month garnered a coveted
three stars in the 2018 Michelin Guide for the Bay Area. Three stars is the highest honor bestowed by Michelin,
achieved by only 14 restaurants in the United States.
“We are proud of Matthew and wish him the very best as he
defends the USA’s title in the Bocuse d’Or,” said CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan.
The Bocuse d’Or is held once every
two years, with teams from 24 nations competing. The United States reached the
medal stand for the first time in 2015, with CIA alumnus Philip Tessier as head chef of the silver-medal-winning team. In
2017, with Tessier as head coach, Team USA took home
the gold medal. It is now up to Kirkley and his commis assistant, Mimi Chen, overseen by Ment’or—a nonprofit organization devoted to inspiring
culinary excellence in young professionals—to keep the gold.
“I am proud of the teamwork and collaboration shown by Chef
Matthew Kirkley and Commis Mimi Chen,” said Chef Thomas Keller, president of Ment’or and a CIA Trustee. “Their dedication and commitment to their craft is
illustrated in their national selection win. All of us at Ment’or look forward to working with them on their road to Lyon to defend our gold
medal.”
Also in Las Vegas, CIA senior Ethan Hodge won the Ment’or Commis competition and
will have an opportunity to stage with Team USA 2019, spending four weeks with the chefs at The French Laundry as
they prepare for the Bocuse d’Or.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
The winning meat platter from CIA graduate Matthew Kirkley that led to his selection as head chef for Team USA
at the 2019 Bocuse d’Or. (Photo credit: Ken Goodman)
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
Jeff.Levine@culinary.edu
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and
hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degrees in
management, culinary arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, and
associate degrees in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. The
college also offers executive education through its Food Business School along
with certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its
conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA
the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of nearly 50,000
alumni includes innovators in every area of the food business. The CIA has
locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore
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