Asheville – On June 24, the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs announced that Roman Nourse had won the 2024 national Jeunes Chefs Rotisseurs competition. Founded in 1248 in France, the Chaine is the world’s oldest and largest gastronomy and wine society. The competition was held on June 8 at Renton Technological College, near Seattle, Washington. Nourse, a banquet demi chef at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, defeated seven other competitors, each from a “province” defined by the Chaine.
The contestants were each presented with a “mystery basket” of surprise ingredients that they had to use to prepare three courses within 4.5 hours. They also had access to a full pantry. The preparations were presented to a panel of judges, and the winners were announced at a gala that evening. Nourse will now go on to represent his employer and his country in the world competition, which will be held in October in Thailand.
Nourse later said he thought the judges liked his “strong sanitation techniques” and how he creatively used ingredients. A class of 2023 graduate from A-B Tech’s culinary program, he also thought they liked the lab plan, which he learned to create as part of A-B Tech’s training. It’s a project management schedule for cooking that shows when what has to happen to each ingredient and preparation for all courses to be completed at the right time. Nourse says he continues to write these plans for large meals at the Biltmore Inn.
Nourse also thought speed was an asset, noting that he ached all over after the competition. Traits others thought contributed to his success included a good work ethic, an upbeat attitude, and determination. Then, Nourse has a reputation for being a crowd-pleaser. At one of the events, the judges reportedly kept crowding around him because he was “so fun to watch.” He’s fast and intentional, with some describing his cooking as more like a dance.
Nourse had applied to work at the Biltmore Inn as a sous chef, but, due to a perceived lack of experience, he was offered his current position instead. Now, after winning the competition as a representative of the restaurant, he has been told he will be promoted to sous chef in the fall.
The competition is designed to promote culinary excellence among chefs under the age of 27. It was first held in 1977 in Switzerland, and it continues in areas of the world that have a strong presence of Chaine members. The first competition in the United States was held in 1990. Although Nourse graduated from A-B Tech in 2023, he’s still allowed to finish the competition.
Candidates are nominated by chefs, culinary instructors, or management at institutions affiliated with the Chaine. The candidates then complete an application, which is reviewed by the Chaine’s Conseiller Culinaire Provincial.
Nourse, a graduate of Tuscola High, had been studying meteorology at UNC Asheville. After two years, he realized, “My heart wasn’t in it.” What he did enjoy was cooking for friends on Monday nights, “because it makes people happy.” So, a friend suggested he look into A-B Tech’s culinary program. He sampled a few classes first before enrolling in the associate degree program. While in college, he worked at a couple restaurants so he could pay the rent.
He got his first taste of culinary competition when a team of four from A-B Tech went to the American Culinary Federation competition in Orlando in 2021. The ACF has been around since 1929, and it has over 14,000 members in 170 chapters across North America. This was the twelfth team from A-B Tech to qualify. No other culinary school had sent so many teams, but the next year he traveled to the nationals again, this time in Las Vegas, as captain of another A-B Tech team.
After that, Nourse wanted to participate in the Southeast Student Chef of the Year competition, but he was told A-B Tech would only support teams. Undaunted, Nourse moved full steam ahead, preparing for the competition. When his teachers saw his perseverance, they knew he had what it took to compete, so they were able to figure out a way to help pay his freight, and he won.
The team is coached by chef instructors Chris Bugher, who started teaching at A-B Tech in 2015, and Stephen Hertz, who graduated from the school’s culinary program in 2011. Hertz stepped in as head coach about the time Nourse started attending. To date, they haven’t missed taking an A-B Tech team to the ACF finals, and just last year, Bugher was personally presented with the ACF’s Global Vegan Chef of the Americas award.