Escoffier revisited, Geneva

February 8, 2009. There’s a festive Sunday lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva to cap off a competition organized by Les Disciples d’Escoffier, an international association of cooking professionals dedicated to keeping alive the spirit of the great turn- of- the- (19th/20th) century French chef, Auguste Escoffier. Saturday is the cook-off of five seasoned pros to see who gets the 1st International Culinary Art Trophy; under 25s will be competing in a separate event, the 2nd Young Talents contest.  Starting at 11 a.m., there’s a buffet (CHF 50) and some activities open to the public. On Sunday, preparing lunch is in the good hands of the Intercontinental’s chef, Didier Quesnel, and contestants in both of the previous days’ cook-offs are invited to attend the resulting lunch as guests. Lunch starts at 1 p.m., and for members of the public costs 200 francs a person. For more information and reservations, e-mail the president of the association’s Swiss chapter, René Winet (renewinet[at]bluewin.ch). For more information on the association, go to www.disciples-escoffier.com.