What is the Thierry Marx Award?

The Thierry Marx Career Development Award, offers two Victorian cookery apprentices the chance to spend a month in France working with Thierry Marx – the 2006 Relais Gourmands French Chef of the Year.

The competition is open to apprentices at any stage of their training, although they need to demonstrate a level of competency to be considered for the award. Their employer must be a current member of Restaurant & Catering Victoria.

The winners will travel to France in early August for a month to work at Thierry Marx’s Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in Bordeaux where they are exposed to the wonders of Molecular Gastronomy.

Apprentices receive airfares, accommodation and assistance with incidental expenses while their employers will receive an allowance to offset additional staffing costs while the apprentices are in France.

By Matthew Carnell

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Matthew Carnell Boning Pigeon

Matthew Carnell

My last full week at Cordeillan-Bages was great with every day in the kitchen i am finding it easier to find my way 
round and get more jobs done... The biggest highlight was my parents visiting me it was really good 
to see someone familiar. Tim and I got the opportunity to sit down and eat dinner with my parents, 
which was great that the chef would let us do that.

We had full 14 course degustation which was completely mind blowing. Some of the memorable 
courses were, The Iceberg Tomato. A beautiful light clear tomato soup with a tomato and inside a
tomato sorbet in the middle with a basil and mint leaf.

For Fish course i had Lobster with aromatics the lobster came to the table blown up inside a cling
wrap balloon served with citrus confit veg and a nice white bean puree.

Meat Course i had pigeon with a really intense red pepper puree a celeriac cylinder and a confit 
slice of beetroot.

Dessert i had the famous Deconstructed lemon tart it was beautiful Looked nothing like a lemon 
tart but every element was there in different forms.

This is my last weekend off in france and have decided to travel 3 hours down to San Sebastian on 
the coast of spain cannot wait for tonight going for a Tapas Crawl cannot wait to try spanish cuisine

I do not want to leave France and hope this will be the last time i am visiting this lovely country to work
and learn more about the country.................