“I’d heard of the Bocuse d’Or before through one of my bosses, and he explained it as the culinary Olympics and the height of any chef ’s career. The picture he painted to me was a dream, so when I went to France when I was 24, I went and watched the Bocuse d’Or. I was in awe of the energy and the excitement, and I couldn’t believe how amazing the event was. So it became a dream of mine to do it,” Michael said. “When I came back home I found out they were doing it so I thought I would enter. I was 25, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea how intense it was going to be. I failed miserably. “It shocked me, but it shocked me in a good way. It showed me how much I had to learn. The whole thing about cooking is we are forever learning and challenging ourselves to get better. It took me eight years of training and working around the world before entering the Bocuse d’Or competition again.” He would find more success in his current attempt at the competition, being selected as the Australian candidate for the next round. Michael was also honoured by receiving the Chef of the Year Award at the same time, further recognition for his outstanding work in the kitchen. Michael attributed his success to the unique style of his
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24 | PENINSULA
March 2018
presentation, taking inspiration from the trees and berries he finds on his walks amongst the bush. For one of his final dishes, he had made hollowed out beetroot spheres filled with beef terrine, which were then glazed in wild blackberry juice, covered with flowers and herbs, and floated with magnets so they hovered above the board and spun around. It is this distinct style of presentation that may set him apart from the rest as he progresses further along the competition. Before reaching the Grand Finale, Michael and his teammate, former My Kitchen Rules contestant Laura Skvor, must first take on the Bocuse d’Or Asia- Pacific competition, which could see them qualify for the Grand Finale in 2019. “We had a meeting in Melbourne a few weeks ago about our training program for the Bocuse d’Or, so Laura and I have already started training for that. They’re going to send us over to the competition in China probably about a week before the event so we can get used to it over there,” Michael said. In 2017, Australian chef Daniel Arnold represented his country in the Grand Finale of the competition, finishing in a respectable 8th place against competitors from all across the globe. The competition finals have been previously dominated by European chefs, and Michael will have to buck the trend and