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Luke Croston and his Commis Chef Simon Consentino

Luke heads to Lyon

Luke Croston will arrive in Lyon, France, this week to represent Australia in the prestigious Bocuse d'Or World Cuisine Contest.

Accompanied by Commis Chef Simon Consentino, Luke will compete on the first day of the competition on 27 January.

Luke and Simon have been training intensively for the past six months, including eight weeks with French chef Serge Vieira, who won the 2005 Bocuse d'Or. In July, Luke also travelled to Norway to see the European qualifying contest.

This is Luke's third Bocuse d'Or experience – in 2003 he accompanied George Calombaris as his Commis Chef, then competed in his own right in 2007, coming 12th out of 24 teams.

In this grueling contest, Luke and Simon will prepare one course of 14 portions using Norwegian deep sea prawns, cod and scallops, and one course using Aberdeen Angus Scotch Beef – all within five and a half hours and in view of thousands of spectators.

As President of Bocuse d'Or Australia, Walter Wagner will accompany Luke and participate as a judge on both days. Luke and Simon will also be supported in France by chef Philippe Mouchel, who will act as official coach.

This will be Walter's final competition as President, with Romain Bapst taking over the position for the 2011 Australian Selection.

Walter said the committee and competitors were immensely grateful to all the sponsors as the preparation, training, and trip to France were all costly. “Our sponsors are making the dream come alive,” he said.

For more information or high resolution images contact Trish Harty on 0414 762 096 or email trishharty@iprimus.com.au

Media Release – January 2009