Team USA Places 7th In Bocuse D'Or 2013

Major congratulations to Bocuse D'Or Team USA for placing 7th in this year's competition in Lyon, just short of their 6th place win in 2009 (their highest ranking to-date). We're proud to have followed this year's competitors, Chef Richard Rosendale, head coach Gavin Kaysen and Commis Corey Siegel as they prepared for the big day. We even had a spy in the audience — if you count Instagramming as spying, which we don't. Aureole chef Marcus Ware was live-shooting the whole thing under hashtag #bocusetakeover.

While we're still on the heels of Bocuse favorites France, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, 7th place is nothing to scoff at. Chef Rosendale presented dishes like lobster mousse with butternut squash cooked in cider, and "Mushroom Explosion." Seriously, how do you not just hand a gold medal to any manner of exploding mushroom?

A big shoutout to Japan's Noriyuki Hamada for their first top 3 ranking, and we'll see everyone in 2015.