Rosendale\u2019s got upwards of 55 cooking bouts under his belt, including two tours at the Bocuse d\u2019Or, making him the world\u2019s most competitive. His skill allows him to hang his tall white hat at West Virginia\u2019s Greenbrier Resort\u2019s Tavern Room, serving as Executive Chef, the youngest to be appointed in the resort\u2019s 200-year history.<\/p>\n
During his illustrious career, he\u2019s prepared meals for the Dubai Royal family, congress and even the President of the United States. It\u2019s no surprise Rosendale is the youngest to ever reach the distinction of Certified Master Chef by the American Culinary Association, a title he shares with only 67 individuals. Rosendale recently sat down with Foodie Daily to discuss the Bocuse d\u2019Or, whether he\u2019ll ever compete in the Bocuse d\u2019Or again and trying to find out what \u201cAmerican Cuisine\u201d means.<\/p>\n
I know it\u2019s hard to put into words, but can you describe how it felt competing at the Bocuse d\u2019Or? <\/strong><\/p>\n When you first get selected, it\u2019s kind of a blend of tremendous excitement and enthusiasm blended with sheer terror, because you\u2019ve had an entire year of kind of having another full time job. So it\u2019s excitement coupled with this enormous challenge you have inside of you.<\/p>\n In the documentary, your team did their best to sort of iron out what American Cuisine is. If you had to explain it simply, what foods and styles are quintessentially Yankee?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think it depends on which chef you ask. There\u2019s so many different cuisines, it\u2019s sort of a wicker basket, weaving in and out of each other. Every chef will be reflecting a slice, their part of America. A chef that grows up in California, the pacific northwest versus somebody that grows up in the middle of the country or in New England, they\u2019re all going to have slightly different takes on cuisine because it\u2019s so regional and ever-changing.<\/p>\n It\u2019s harder defining American Cuisine because if you look at Italian or Japanese cuisine, these cuisines have so much history, with dishes that are so iconic and cultural\u2014I mean, everyone knows what Italian food is. American food is still kind of young in that process. We have iconic dishes, but it\u2019s so robust. We\u2019re such a big country.<\/p>\n You returned to the competition last year as a coach. What skills did you provide the team in your role as one of it\u2019s leaders?<\/strong><\/p>\n Every year, you take what you\u2019ve learned and try to pass it on to the next candidate. I benefited from the people who had competed before me and when Phil competed, he benefited from everything I\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n You know, there\u2019s only two people cooking, the chef and his assistant. But the reality is there\u2019s a team behind that candidate. Our mission, our goal is to really provide direction, support and make sure they\u2019re going to be able to excel at the competition.<\/p>\n Looking forward, are you going to try your hand at competing in the Bocuse d\u2019Or again?<\/strong><\/p>\n You know, I don\u2019t know that I would ever want to compete in the competition again. I never rule anything out\u2014of course, my wife would kill me if I ever suggested that I would do it again [Laughs]. But it\u2019s a big commitment. Whether it\u2019s your ego, or the competitive side of a chef that make anyone want to go back, I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction helping someone else reach that level of cooking.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been there, I\u2019ve learned so much from it, it\u2019s had a profound impact on my life but I don\u2019t know that that commitment\u2014there\u2019s a lot of people around me that sacrifice during the training, your family, your co-workers. They all go through the competition with you.<\/p>\n![\"RICH3\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/RICH3.jpg\")
<\/a>Master Chef Rich Rosendale<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/RICH2.jpg\")
<\/a>The plate Rosendale presented at the Bocuse d’Or, which featured his take on American Cuisine.<\/p>\n