Stephan Riviere, Food and Beverage manager of the French Senat und Teamleiter des franz. Teams, beantwortet den offenen Brief des dänischen Bocuse d’or Teams
I just receive your open letter regarding the accusation against M. Fabrice Desvignes. We are very surprised.
Could you imagine that one member of the French Sénat Presidency Kitchen Crew we’ll take the risk to cheat. (during such important and famous event)?
Do you think realy that Fabrice was able to take the risk to be control by the Bocuse d’or Committee and to be disqualifying at the beginning of his work.
If the questions are:
Did he prepare the dishes at Lyon? The response is yes
There was in front of him among 15 or 20 person looking at him, We have hundred photos showing this people, staying during the Fabrice preparations, we have also movies which can proved this fact.
If he ever would have cheated, this is an evidence that some one would put a reclamation at the second he noticed something goes wrong.
If some one decided to give him this famous boxes after 9.20 a.m.: I can’t believe that nobody told to the Bocuse d’or Organization that there was an infraction.
Every one have seen Fabrice cutting, cooking his Chicken and his St Fjord, all along the Fabrice preparation in the back a Norway chef crew was there looking at Fabrice (controlling and supervising what he was doing).
Did the Bocuse d’or committee controlled all of the French boxes (as they did for all of the candidates)? The response is yes
When we knew that we will be probably late in bringing the food at the right time (due to the snow)we asked at 7 am the 24th January the controllers and jury members. The committee had answered, that the boxes have to be inside before 9.20 a.m. in the kitchen, if we can’t do it, it will be impossible for us to give Fabrice anything.
Did he Cheat? Of course not!
Just talk about what happen during the 23rd and 24th January
In our organization we decided to bring by truck and car the boxes containers (3 boxes and one small white)
We had decided to leave Paris at 3 P.M. (We had a very Important Lunch for the President Mr. Poncelet and Mr. Raffarin (1st Minister of the French Republic)) This is the reason we can’t leave earlier
We left Paris at 4 PM but we were obliged to drive back to Paris (The Snow interrupt the traffic an the Highway to Lyon)
We put two boxes in our car, because the truck was not allowed (by the police) to move. Our small car was not able to take all of the food. We forget in the truck the black truffles, the duck foie gras and the leeks. (this was a terrible mistake) At this moment we thought that one year of preparation was down.
We arrived in Paris the 23 January at 8 PM. We booked the last train TGV at Gare de Lyon (Myself and the head Chef Gilles Poyac)
We took the train at 10 PM.
We arrived at Lyon Perrache the 24th January about 00.20 am. An another truck was waiting for us (Fabrice has taken this truck to come with his tools the 22nd January)
We drived to Euro expo and arrived at 1 a.m. The head chef stayed in the truck and slept to supervise that nobody steal the food and silver dishes.
At the same time in Paris the first truck drived back with the boxes (1 large black and a small white). We booked for the two other chefs the Train at 6.00 am (Paris-gare de Lyon) 24th January, They took this train which was 10 minutes late. You can ask the SNCF.
I was waiting for them. We left the Lyon’s station at 8.20 a.m. and arrived at Euroexpo about 9.10 a.m. taking risk on the road.(By car – a car given by our sponsor Gaz de France)
I don’t know if we gave the famous Fabrice Boxes at 9.15 or 9.16 or 9.18 or 9.21 a.m. the 24th January
The fact is, that the committee was inform that we’ll give him 2 boxes.
The boxes were controlled by the Bocuse d’or Organization
I read in your Open letter that Fabrice appeared nervous, and unorganized
* Nervous :
Yes of course, as the other candidate. The day before Fabrice in Lyon was following or catastrophic organization travel by his Mobil, waiting in the hotel.
At 8 PM le 23rd January he told me that he decide to tell the Bocuse d’or committee that he can’t do his recipe. (a shame for our crew and our country) because we don’t prepare the fact that evenly we’ll be stop by snow.
* Unorganized :
Of course he was unorganized, destabilized , a night without sleeping – thinking about what his crew was doing. He had to concentrate again on his focus. And motivate his commis who was down.
If Fabrice has been able to prepare the recepie the 24th january? Of course he is able to do it again.
Best Regards
Stéphan Rivière
Intendant de la Présidence du Sénat
(Food and beverage manager of the French Senat)
PS : Sorry for my bad English and the grammatical mistake
Wir haben probiert, einige sprachliche Schnitzer zu entfernen, aber einige Sätze sind nicht verständlich. Offenbar hat Riviere diesen Brief mit sehr viel Emotionen und ohne viel Nachzudenken geschrieben.
Auf jeden Fall ist das Angebot gut, das Fabrice noch einmal kochen will, um allen die Wahrheit zu beweisen.
So ein wichtiger Wettbewerb wie der Bocuse d’or braucht die Wahrheit, um weiter so erfolgreich zu sein.