Top Chef season six finalist Kevin Gillespie has pulled out of the Bocuse d’Or — the international culinary competition in which he was entered after winning a Top Chef challenge last season. According to his rep, Melissa Libby, Gillespie felt he didn’t have adequate time to prepare. “He just realized with everything he had going on business wise and busy-ness wise, he couldn’t devote the time and energy he needed to really represent the United States well and he just didn’t want to let anyone down,” Libby told EW. “He’s very, very serious and a perfectionist.” Gillespie wrote a letter to the Bocuse D’or committee, asking to be removed from the list of semi-finalists, and when the committee granted him permission, they also offered him a deferral for the next Bocuse d’Or, which takes place in 2013. While Gillespie still runs his Woodfire Grill restaurant in Atlanta, the rest of his time is spent on obligations to Bravo. Though Libby wouldn’t specify, she said his work with the show since wrapping has been more behind-the-scenes. To her knowledge, the network was never consulted regarding Gillespie’s decision to withdraw. “Certainly some of his obligations with Bravo were some of the things making him so busy, but they certainly didn’t do anything to make him pull out nor did they try to make him stay in,” Libby said. Bravo declined to comment.
Photo: Trae Patton/Bravo
Awesome that he was granted a deferral! Loved Kevin.
JEN FTW! Yes, I’m still a bitter bat.
I know! I was team Jen all the time =)
bryan is the one who should have won that challenge anyway.
agree – bryan showed the best advanced techniques(and also helped out kevin with his sous-vide lamb). kevin does simple food really well, but that really wasn’t the point of the bocuse d’or challenge.
Ha! Was totally thinking that when I read this.
Bryan should have won Top Chef period. And yes he should have won the Bocuse d’Or challenge as well. I’m very bitter about this!!!
Too bad but I understand the reasons behind it. Hopefully he can prepare in time to compete in 2013.
Really, Bryan? Not that challenge. I loved Kevin and Bryan and am sad neither one of those guys won Top Chef. Kevin hope you do it in 2013.
if you recall, kevin is the only one who didn’t follow the rules of the challenge; even he berated himself.
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I really feel like NONE of the contestants should have been sent on to Bocuse D’Or. Kevin clearly had the most complete dish, so they couldn’t have given the win to someone who made mistakes, but it’s true that Kevin’s presentation wasn’t right for the challenge.