This chef left a top U.S. restaurant, now she's after global culinary gold in New Orleans

Stefani De Palma was chef de cuisine at the San Diego restaurant Addison in 2022 when it was awarded three Michelin stars, the highest ranking from the revered global dining guide, joining just a dozen American restaurants at that level.

But she left that all behind and has instead been working in a comparatively anonymous training kitchen, reaching for something even more elusive than Michelin stars. That journey brings her to New Orleans in June.

De Palma is head chef for Team USA in this year’s Bocuse d’Or, the prestigious biennial international competition dubbed the Olympics of the culinary world.

Followed avidly overseas, it's less known in the U.S. Changing that is one factor that drives De Palma through the demanding pursuit of the competition.

“The Bocuse d’Or represents the pinnacle of culinary excellence on an international scale, and I’d like my participation in it to bring more exposure to the competition and the dedicated chefs who are committing so much to the profession,” De Palma said.

Coming to New Orleans

She and her team are chasing the gold medal in the finals, held in Lyon, France, this January. First though, there’s the Bocuse d’Or Americas, the qualifying round for teams representing countries in North America and South America. This will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center June 12-13, along with the qualifier for the related Pastry World Cup on June 11.

It’s the first time the U.S. has hosted any Bocuse d’Or competition. It’s an opportunity the local tourism marketing agency New Orleans & Co. campaigned heavily to get, and it could be a major international boost for the city’s culinary reputation.

It will bring teams of chefs working at De Palma’s level from eight other countries — Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela — and also chefs competing in the Pastry World Cup from Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Paraguay.

They’re bringing media from their home countries and supporters, who, if tradition holds, should turn the stadium-style competition kitchen at the convention center into a raucous scene of national ardor.

What it takes

Bocuse d’Or was created in 1987 by chef Paul Bocuse, father of modern French cuisine, who wanted to create the world’s most rigorous culinary competition. The comparison to the Olympics plays through the training and preparation it demands.

“Competing in this is a full-time job,” said Young Yun, executive director of Ment’or, a New York-based group that supports Team USA in Bocuse d’Or. “It takes a high level of commitment and dedication, they’re taking two years out of their lives and careers to do this. It’s intense.”

Teams consist of head chef, a commis (or assistant) and a coach.

De Palma leads the team after working 15 years at Addison with founding chef William Bradley.

Her commis is Bradley Waddle, a 21-year-old California native who worked at the French Laundry in Napa Valley; the coach is Sebastian Gibrand, who won silver for the Swedish national team at Bocuse d’Or in 2019. The team president is Devin Knell, head of research and development for Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, parent company of the French Laundry.

The dishes Team USA will present in New Orleans are the result of work they’ve put in since the start of 2023. They’ve been based at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, where they’ve worked in a training kitchen modeled closely after the competition ones they’ll find in New Orleans, and in Lyon if they advance.

The chefs collaborate on ideas and practice to refine everything from how they set up their tools to the final plating of dishes.

“We’re treating our training like it’s the competition itself, we practice how we will perform,” De Palma said. “I have one goal in mind right now and that’s to focus on what we need to do in New Orleans.”

That training continues in New Orleans, where Emeril's Restaurant has made its newly redesigned kitchen available for Team USA's final preparations. Other teams are set up in kitchens across the city, sharpening the edges right up to go-time.

“We’re improving every day," De Palma said. "The difference between our performance two weeks ago and now is notable."

What to watch

Each team will take on two tests, a theme dish and a theme platter, both with Louisiana themes. The plate will showcase seafood, including shrimp, oysters and lump crabmeat, while the platter will include a rack of wild boar, alligator sausage and grits. The ingredients may sound familiar, at least in Louisiana, but Bocuse d’Or creations spun from their team must be original, intricate and exacting.

Team USA's day to compete is June 12. De Palma and Waddle will work together around the team’s kitchen in the Convention Center, minding the ticking clock as the deadline nears to present their entries to the table of judges.

Emeril Lagasse, honorary president of the Bocuse d’Or Americas selections, said the judges will be assessing their work long before the first taste.

“I’d be looking for their work ethic, how smart they’re running the kitchen, how efficiently,” Lagasse said. “Cleanliness is an issue. The way they handle these ingredients is big. It's all part of what the judges are looking at.”

Spectators can follow the progress as the nine international teams work under the same roof.

“Watch each team, see how they move in the kitchens, see what the judges are looking for, how they’re organized, their presence, if they work cleanly,” Yun said. “Each country approaches this differently. Once the food starts coming out, look at the presentations.”

Chasing gold, opening doors

America’s ambitions in Bocuse d’Or have been on the rise, but Team USA has historically been an underdog. France, Norway and Sweden have brought home the lion’s share of medals from the start. Team USA won silver in 2015 and won gold in 2017, the only time a non-European country has taken the top honor.

While De Palma and her team are representing their country, she also sees the exposure and prestige of Bocuse d’Or as a chance to elevate more than her team's own achievements. She’s just the third woman to compete for Team USA, and the international range of competitors has included very few women. She wants to change that.

“I want to see our work reach a broader audience,” she said. “And although I would like my hard work and dedication to take the spotlight, I also hope that my place on the team inspires other women to see this as an opportunity.”

How to attend

Pastry World Cup Americas selection

When: June 11, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bocuse d’Or Americas selection

When June 12-13, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Team USA competes June 12)

Both events are at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Visitors must register and purchase tickets ($75, which includes access to all three days). See bocusedor.com/en/selection/americas.

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