Community Outreach

The first competition was organized in 1977 in Switzerland to support and promote future young chefs by giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their skills. Competitions are held at provincial, national and international levels in countries around the world that have a strong Chaîne presence. The competition was started in 1990 in the United States and continues to grow every year. It has been featured on the TV Food Network and CNN. Our winner in the United States in 2011, Reilly Mehan, went on to win the International Young Chef Competition put on by the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. His culinary career and life have been changed forever as a result of this competition and his experience.

In the USA, competition begins at the provincial level. Proprietors, managers, chefs and culinary instructors at Chaîne affiliated restaurants, hotels, culinary schools and Chaîne members within each of the ten provinces of the Bailliage des Etats-Unis can propose candidates, who complete and submit application forms to a Provincial Coordinator, the Conseiller Culinaire Provincial. Contestants are then selected from the group of applicants.

Congratulations to Logan Christensen, of the Midwest Province, our 2018 winner of the best Jeunes Chefs Competition. Congratulations also to second place finisher Shaylyn Funasaski, of the Hawaii/Pacific Islands and in third place, Rebecca Lawrence of the Southeast Province. We also want to congratulate all of the young chefs that competed this year.

Maître Rôtisseur Kelsee Newman won our third annual National Pastry Competition. The Chaîne de Rôtisseurs Military Award winner for 2018 was Scott Jeffries, United States Coast Guard. Congratulations to Kelsee, Scott and all the other chefs that participated in this competition.

Each competitor is given an identical mystery “market basket” containing a few key ingredients, and is to design and prepare a three-course meal to serve four people using those ingredients—all in four hours’ time! Such is the challenge given young cooks competing in the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition.