Redding U-Prep student to represent Team USA at the Bocuse d’Or American culinary contest

The original version of this story should have said Bradley Waddle graduated from Shasta Charter Academy in 2020.

A 21-year-old chef from Redding who got his start cooking in his parents’ kitchen will compete for a place in a worldwide gastronomic competition in Lyon, France.

Bradley Waddle of Napa and his culinary mentor Chef Stefani De Palma of San Diego beat out two other teams in the Bocuse d’Or national qualifiers on Sept. 3 at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, according to contest placement hosting organization Ment'or.

That win means they'll represent the U.S., competing against teams from other North and South American countries in 2024, for a place at the 2025 Bocuse d’Or finals in Lyon, Waddle said.

The prestigious competition was first launched by the French Pope of Gastronomy Paul Bocuse in 1987, according to Bocuse d’Or.

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De Palma and Waddle and two other teams had five-and-a-half hours to prepare dishes for a panel of chefs. Competitors faced two challenges: Create a theme platter with pork with an appetizer and two garnishes and a theme plate that included either summer squash and zucchini or sweet corn.

“We made a pork dish with sauerkraut pumpernickel and cabbage,” Waddle said. “Our theme plate was a Brentwood corn custard, served with demi sec tomatoes and summer squash.”

Teams were judged on flavor, presentation, technique and kitchen skills, according to Ment'or.

Now that they’ve won the nationals, Waddle and De Palma will train with culinary coaches and practice their skills to prepare for the North and South American competition in June or July, 2024, Waddle said. Contest planners have yet to announce in which country the competition will take place.

Gourmet chef loves In-N-Out Burger

Despite his refined cooking skills, Waddle said he’s not a picky eater: “I’ll eat anything, I love trying new things, but In-N-Out Burger has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.”

Waddle never attended culinary school, opting instead to apprentice with chefs from around the world. “All of my culinary training has been hands on,” learning from others while they worked, he said.

Waddle got his start in his parents’ kitchen. At age 7, he was big on baking cookies and brownies, his parents said.

While the family cooked and baked together most days, neither of Waddle's parents are chefs. His mother, Hillary Waddle, is a nurse at Mercy Medical Center in Redding. His father, Matt Waddle, is a paramedic and flight officer at the California Highway Patrol’s Northern Division Air Operations.

At age 8, Waddle announced he wanted to own a restaurant, a dream that’s still his goal. He always “had a knack for hospitality," his father said.

Waddle landed his first restaurant job at 16, while attending University Preparatory School in Redding: Bussing tables at C.R. Gibbs American Grille on Hilltop Drive. He said he “begged the head chef and sous chef for months” to allow him to work in the kitchen.

At 17, he got his wish: A job as a C.R. Gibbs line cook, a person who oversees meals served in a section of a restaurant.

In his teens, Waddle, "experimented a lot with different foods in our kitchen,” his father said. “It wasn't always neat.”

But it had its rewards.

Waddle attempted to replicated C.R. Gibbs’ Valentine’s Day special for his parents. “Hillary and I came home to a lobster dinner prepared by our son,” his father said.

When he was 18, Waddle took a job as a prep cook at Mosaic Restaurant in Redding. Each morning, he prepared sauces so they’d be ready for Mosaic chefs to serve that evening, he said.

After graduating from Shasta Charter Academy in 2020, Waddle looked beyond the North State to find other experienced chefs under whom he could train.

He first moved to the Napa Valley to work at Regiis Ova Caviar & Champagne Lounge in Yountville. That gave him the chance to study under Chef Thomas Keller, owner of the French Laundry restaurant ― also in Yountville.

In 2022, Waddle started a 10-month stint in Exmouth, England, practicing his craft under chefs at the one-Michelin-star restaurant at Lympstone Manor hotel.

He returned to Napa in July to prepare for the national competition with De Palma, he said.

He’s working as a commis ― an advanced level of line chef ― at Ad Hoc Restaurant in Yountville, until he hears from De Palma and Bocuse d’Or competition planners it’s time to start training for the next level of the competition this autumn.

Training means honing skills and experimenting with foods under De Palma’s direction six days a week, Waddle said.

Each country’s team includes a chef — De Palma, and a commis — Waddle.

In addition to winning the national competition on Sept. 8, Waddle won the Best Commis award "an incredible honor," Waddle said.

Each commis must be 22 or younger to compete, ensuring young talent gets chances to learn from successful chefs, according to Ment'or.

That makes representing his country truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Waddle, who will be 22 in May, just before he and De Palma compete at the continental qualifiers in summer, 2024.

If they win, Waddle and De Palma will head for Lyon for the Bocuse d’Or in January, 2025. They’ll compete as one of the top 24 teams in the finals, chosen from teams in 76 counties, according to Waddle.

Bocuse d’Or winners receive a trophy and a €20,000 purse, according to Ment’or — just under $21,500 at the Sept. 11 exchange rate.

Even if he and De Palma win the Bocuse d’Or in France, Waddle said won’t be ready to open that restaurant yet, he said. “I feel like I have decades left to learn… before I’ll feel confident opening a restaurant."

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding chef to represent Team USA in international culinary contest