After months of intense training, he was able to hold his nerve and prove his talent: Paul Marcon won the Bocuse d'Or at just 28 years old, carrying on the values of the illustrious family that owns the three-starred restaurant of the same name. The enfant prodige thus marks a new page in the history of French gastronomy, just as his father did in 1995.
Photo credits: Bocuse d'Or
The News
Winning the international final of the Bocuse d'Or is a 28-year-old from a small village in the upper Loire, who has nurtured a big dream since childhood. The youngest son of the famous Régis Marcon, Paul has been able to follow in the footsteps of his father, who won the same award in 1995 at the age of 38.
He trained for months, showing commitment and determination, and keeping his mentor at arm's length: “I am often exposed to heavy criticism, everyone associates my last name with the family's three-Michelin-starred business. We love each other but our professional relationship is conditioned by blood ties, in any case if he had not been there I would not have come this far,", says the young man, as reported by Le Figaro.
By honing his character, maturing and not giving a damn about what people think and say, today Paul is able to manage his emotions and accept defeat, but most of all to come to terms with the pressure he is under during training, "I didn't want him to make a fool of himself, both for him and for me. It was complicated, but I still stood by him in my own way. When he was little he loved to wear my hat and juggle in the kitchen making little pancakes for breakfast. He always wanted to get busy; I was never as sure of myself as he was, the anxiety wore me down. But he showed that his approach to the subject is structured and precise, competition-like,", says the preceptor.
Deeply attached to his Alvernian roots, just like his brother Jacques, chef of the restaurant in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, he holds within him a fundamental teaching passed on to him by both his parents: the value of work, which somehow continues to show him the right path and encourage him to always give his best. It is the key to going far.
