Paris, France — Even in masks there is a still an excited buzz surrounding the annual Trophée Frédéric Delair awards to young and upcoming students and apprentices for dining room service, established by the Tour d’Argent, one of the world’s most prestigious gastronomic institutions. Contestants were on the move, carving ducks and flambéing crepes. The competition was held for the fourth time this year and the award ceremony was held on October 22nd.

« Dining room service and its ceremonial from the simplest of welcomes to the most sophisticated of service participates in the renown of French gastronomy. It is a living and rich heritage. It is our duty to make it last and to transmit this know-how, » commented André Terrail, the president of the Trophée Delair and the owner of the Tour d’Argent.

Frédéric Delair was the maître d’ and owner of the Tour d’Argent in the middle of the 19th century.Under his helm, dining room service took on a new dimension. He would codify the famous blood duckling or Frédéric Delair duckling and would carve the duck on the edge of a fork without touching the plate. In 1890 he decided to number each duckling. The House of Burgaud has since 1947 supplied the exceptional ducklings of Challans for this emblematic recipe.

This year’s winners were Laurane Liger and Hugo Marcon of the Chamalières Lycée. They will, when health conditions allow for it, spend a week at the New Omani Hotel in Tokyo with the high point being dinner at the Tour d’Argent of Tokyo.
©The Gourmet Gazette