Under the Toque: Jerome BocuseUnder the Toque: Jerome Bocuse

by pamela Parseghian

TITLE: president and owner of JBI LLC, the company that runs the food and beverage operations for Epcot’s France Pavilion at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
BIRTH DATE: June 12, 1969
HOMETOWN: Lyon, France
EDUCATION: The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.; Florida International University School of Hospitality Management, Miami
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: renewing contract with Disney, being vice president of the board of directors of the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation, serving as president of SIRHA restaurant and hotel trade show in Lyon

Jerome Bocuse, son of world-famous French chef Paul Bocuse, has built a life of his own in Florida, with a young family, including a son named Paul. But he admits he still lives in the shadow of his father’s tall toque. 


Still, the younger Bocuse has carved out his own culinary path. He owns the company that provides foodservice for Epcot’s France Pavilion in Walt Disney World and is vice president of the board of directors of the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation. 


He spoke with Nation’s Restaurant News about how he deals with being a Bocuse, his goals for the U.S. team in the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition and the best dish his father cooked for him.


Do you enjoy being in the spotlight?


Not really. It’s funny, but when you have a father who’s a celebrity chef, you always live in the shadow, somehow. 


So you’re asked lots of questions about your dad, as I’m about to do?


Yes, exactly. That’s fine. I don’t mind talking about him. I’m comfortable with myself, and I don’t try to compete with what he did and is doing. And I’ve had some great results, and I’m very happy with where I am. 


Did your father like the name you picked for your son Paul? 


My father really appreciated the fact that I named him Paul. I don’t know if he will be a chef, but at least the name will live on.


Do you have other siblings, and are any of them chefs?


I have a half sister, but she doesn’t cook.


Has your dad been supportive of your career? If so, how?


[When] I decided to stay here and do my life in Orlando, [Fla.], he was supportive. He could have said, “I’d rather have you here in France and have you next to me.”


Why did you stay in the U.S.?


I didn’t really decide; it just happened that way. I went to The [Culinary Institute of America], and at the time, there was an agreement with [Florida International University]. So I went there, and then I thought I should get experience here in the States. And basically I started here and I’m still here. After I took over the operations at Disney, the opportunity was here. I signed a contract with Disney, so now we’re redoing and doing renovations at several locations. 


What are you changing?


We’re going to build a brand new bakery in a new building. It’s going to be very close to the bakeries that you see in France today. More like a modern bakery with sandwiches. We will cook all of our bread all day long and make sandwiches with that fresh bread.


[It’s slated to open around March 2013.]


It sounds a little like the chain your dad is running from Lyon. Do you think you will expand your bakery into a chain restaurant?


At this point, no. But you never know what will come up. First we have to make this bakery well rounded, one step at a time.


What’s involved in Epcot’s France Pavilion?


We have two restaurants — a brasserie and a more refined restaurant — a boulangerie/patisserie, a wine kiosk and a crêpe kiosk on the promenade. We have 130 youngsters every year who come here on one-year [work] visas. So we obviously have a high turnover. Thirteen to 15 come every month.


That sounds like a management nightmare. How do you accomplish all that training?


It’s [constant] training, and the ones who have been here for a while train the others. It’s been working that way since 1982. I go back to France to interview [the candidates] from culinary schools and apprentice programs.


How is business at the French pavilion?


Business is good. We are very fortunate. People are still traveling. I think people really try to save, but when it comes time to please children they make the extra step, and Disney has been running good incentives.


How did it feel to be recognized as Alumni of the Year last year by The Culinary Institute of America?


I felt very honored. The school has always been good to me. It wasn’t always easy going as the son of Paul Bocuse, but I had a good time there. 


Do you think you’ll teach there at some point?


No, unfortunately I don’t have the time with what I do today. But they’re really the base. Without teachers, our trade is going nowhere. 


What would you be if you weren’t a chef?


A professional athlete. I skied a few years for the French national team. I’m attracted to sports and high adrenaline.


So that explains your attraction to cooking. Did your dad often cook at home? 


Not when he was working. When we were on vacation, he was always cooking.


What was the most delicious dish he ever cooked for you? 


Macaroni gratin. It’s like mac and cheese here, but it’s done a little different in France. 


How so?


It’s rich and creamy and made with Gruyère and heavy cream in a béchamel. You cook a long macaroni in milk until it’s half done, then put it in a gratin dish, pour hot béchamel on top, add some Comté, Gruyère or Emmental on top, and finish in the oven until brown, 15-20 minutes. 


Do you think you will work directly for your dad at some point?


Not for now. But I’m still involved in the restaurant in France to some degree. 


You mentioned that a highlight of your career is being named president of SIRHA restaurant and hotel trade show in Lyon. Can you talk about why that’s important to you?


It is one of the largest food shows in the world, with 2,200 exhibitors, so it’s really a big venue. Ten thousand chefs come from 136 countries. Last year there were over 160,000 visitors. 


What’s really exciting is being part of Bocuse d’Or USA. After spending so much time in the U.S., I really hope that they will be represented where they belong. 


Where’s that?


They belong on the [winners’] podium. The best result for the U.S. ever was the 6th place in 1987. 


How are you going to accomplish that goal? 


By creating awareness and basically attracting young chefs to be interested in the competition and to want to show the world that they can really do well in a world competition in Europe. We have to be patient. The Europeans have been exposed for a lot longer than the U.S. [to culinary competitions like these]. It may take some time to figure out.