World-Class Chef Shares How Competitive Cooking Changed the Way He Worked
From new technologies and changing food trends to supply chains and innovative concepts, the restaurant industry is everchanging. Host Andre Natera shares kitchens, plates and stories with food and beverage superstars, preparing a new dish and offering valuable insights from the front lines of the culinary industry.
Continuing to bring stories of celebrated chefs to audiences, Run the Pass host Andre Natera welcomed Chef Mathew Peters to the show. Peters is the only U.S. winner of the famed Bocuse d’Or, a biennial world chef championship.
Ironically, Peters said he never wanted to do competitions. “My goal was to work at a top restaurant then run and operate my own.”
However, the opportunity to compete in Bocuse d’Or was too intriguing to pass up. The training regiment to compete is not unlike an Olympic athlete. There were long days, challenges at every turn, and stressful happenings at every step.
In this new situation, Peters came out of it with a different way of working with food and communication. His team also created a pressure-filled environment in training so that the competition would be easier.
During the competition, there were missteps. “Nothing ever goes smoothly,” Peters remarked.
While it wasn’t perfect, it was gold medal-worthy. To date, it’s his only competition, but he figured why not shoot for the crown jewel.
Now Peters has made Austin his home. His wife is from here, so he experienced it over the years. He sees lots of opportunity for this growing city with a great food scene.
“Right now, we’re just looking for space to launch a new fine-dining concept but a fun fine dining that breaks the typical mode.” Austin residents will no doubt be in for a tasteful experience.
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