LOS ANGELES, Nov. 11, 2010. Seeking excellence to match that of Team USA, the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation has selected BMW Group DesignworksUSA to create custom presentation platters for the upcoming Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest in Lyon, France. The Foundation is led by renowned Chefs Thomas Keller; President, Daniel Boulud; Chairman and Jerome Bocuse; Vice-President, who have been instrumental in the design process.
On January 25, 2011, Team USA will present their culinary masterpieces – including one dish comprised of meat and the other of seafood – to a panel of 24 prestigious judges. The platters will play a critical role in Team USA’s performance, as 40 percent of each team’s score is based on presentation.
“The presentation platters set the stage for the perfect culinary experience, and like every other ingredient, this detail requires meticulous attention and consideration,” said Thomas Keller. “BMW Group DesignworksUSA is an ideal partner, as they share Bocuse d’Or USA’s passion for the creative process and are similarly dedicated to excellence in their profession as artists.”
To begin the creative process of constructing the presentation platters, Team USA’s leader, James Kent, who is presently a Sous Chef at Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, traveled to DesignworkUSA’s Los Angeles studio, during the summer, for a kick-off workshop. Kent shared his ideas and inspiration for the meat and seafood creations he plans to prepare at the upcoming competition. The DesignworksUSA team began translating his thoughts into a design language that would shape the attributes of the bespoke platters. The DesignworksUSA team also had to consider the specific dimension limitations set in place by the competition.
For oval or rectangular presentation platters, 43 by 27 inches is the maximum size; while, round trays must be 35 inches in diameter or less. These dimensions include the handles and base of the platter. Kent will prepare the dishes with his teammate and Commis, Tom Allan, who is also a Sous Chef at Eleven Madison Park.
The creative team recently reconvened for the design ideation review. Together they discussed and reviewed concepts for the meat and seafood platters and, after careful deliberation, agreed upon the design direction for each platter. The creative team is now in the final stages of this ongoing design process.
“Great food, like great design, is an expression of the creative process that requires dedication and passion together with inspiration and talent,” says Laurenz Schaffer, President, BMW Group DesignworksUSA. “There are many similarities between haute cuisine chefs and highly skilled designers on how to approach creative challenges that lead to most surprising results. When the opportunity to work with Bocuse d’Or USA came to DesignworksUSA, it was a natural fit for us both.”
About BMW Group DesignworksUSA
BMW Group DesignworksUSA provides design strategy, research, design development, sustainability consulting, brand communications, 3D modeling, and color, materials, and finish to many of the world’s great brands. In addition to being the creative partner to BMW Group, which includes BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, additional DesignworksUSA clients include Boeing Business Jets, HEAD, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Saeco, and Sony. The company was founded in 1972 by Charles W. Pelly in Malibu, California, and acquired by BMW Group in 1995. Since December 2009, President Laurenz Schaffer has led DesignworksUSA’s strategy and operations, which includes studios in Los Angeles, Munich, and Singapore. With global resources and clients across a spectrum of forward-thinking industries, DesignworksUSA has an unparalleled understanding of consumers and the world of design that surrounds them, both today and many years into the future.
In 2010, Fast Company magazine ranked DesignworksUSA as the world’s “#1 Most Innovative Company in Design,” and among the “Most Innovative Companies for 2010”.
About the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation
Established in 2009, the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization led by a Board of Directors of renowned, chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse. The Foundation is devoted to recruiting, training and financially supporting the promising young American chefs who compete on behalf of the United States in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or competition, held in Lyon, France every two years. In total, there are 24 countries competing at this international arena. The U.S. team is chosen at a biennial national selection competition hosted by the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation. The Foundation also offers education scholarships, internships and access to a Culinary Council of more than 35 established professional from across America. The Foundation aims to build a community of young American chefs who will become life-long ambassadors of gastronomic excellence and a source of great pride for America.
