It’s hard to imagine Jean Yves Vendeville being intimidated or squeamish about anything really. He’s an imposing figure. Gregarious, quick witted and friendly, but the fact remains he was scared.
“Yes I was,” he says. “I was nervous until it was time to stop.”
That says a lot about the nature of this competition. By the time it was over Chef Vendeville, the head of the culinary program at Savannah Technical College, had been selected by the American Culinary Federation as the top chef instructor in the country.
Chef Vendeville came to Savannah in 2008 and brought his trademark high standards with him. His only requirement in his classes is excellence. He doesn’t embarrass, berate or otherwise humiliate his students. Instead, he makes clear what his expectations are and holds all of his students to that standard.
He’s been known to send students home who show up for class with wrinkled uniforms or dirty shoes. His time begins the moment you walk through his door. His ultimate goal is simple, to make you the best culinary student he possibly can.
When he was put on stage to compete against the best of the best in America, he held his work to the same standard. A simple lesson in “I wouldn’t ask you to do anything that I’m not prepared to do myself.”
So there he was, in front of some of the best culinary talent in America. On full display in a convention hall in Kansas City, Mo., with a shot at being named the best in America.
“It was a big trade show,” he said. “About 1,200 chefs there.”
Vendeville had 50 minutes to present a power point presentation on a dish and then actually prepare the dish in front of a live audience.
“At the beginning,” he said with a laugh, “there were about 8 to 10 people sitting there. Once I started baking, there were about 60 to 70. All of the seats were full, and people were standing in the back.”
What commanded so much attention? Vendeville decided to prepare a strawberry rhubarb white chocolate soufflé with Grand Marnier Sabayon, Sorbet, Bresilienne Nuts and Bubble Sugar.
“They said I was rogue,” he said.
Nevermind the ingredients, all of this had to be prepared in less than a hour, and it had to taste good.
“My only concern was the oven,” he said. “We didn’t have a convection oven. I had to use a regular kitchen oven whose temperature I determined was off by 60-70 degrees. I cranked it to 500 just to have 400 degrees, then lowered it to 300 when I really needed just more than 200 degrees.”
In that 50-minute time period he had to show the judges what he was going to prepare, show them how he was going to do it and then actually do it. One of his three students who was at the show handled the power point presentation, but beyond that there was no help. No assistants, no sous chefs, no corner cutting.
“I had to do it all,” he said.
Leaving all the technicalities behind, in a 50 minute window, you really only have one shot at getting a souffle right. It will either rise perfectly, or it won’t.
Vendeville said he knew there was a chance it wouldn’t go well.
“But I had practiced so many times before,” he said.
Ultimately, he said, he used the technique he teaches his own students.
When it was over, Vendeville delivered on everything he said he would deliver. His course syllabus, which also had to be handed over to the judges, was perfectly in order — surprising them at the amount of detail he covers in his courses.
“They asked me, do you really do that?” he said. “Yes, I do.”
There are some 20,000 members of the American Culinary Federation. Certified chefs all over the country. The top of the profession. The best chef instructors in four regions are named earlier in the year, then those four compete to determine who’s the best chef instructor in America.
“I’ve won other awards in Canada and London back in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” he said, “but this is the biggest in this country.”
And it came one day after his wedding anniversary. His wife was in Kansas City with him, but “we spent 27 minutes together.”
Humble in victory, he thanked his students, many of whom were following along in a play-by-play via social media.
“The girls cried,” he said. “I’m just so grateful for everyone’s support. My wife, the administration and my students.”