An interesting telling of the 2009 USA Bocuse d'Or team story. I'm an avid "Top Chef" (Bravo-TV) watcher, and an episode during one of the last couple of seasons included a challenge to the five or so remaining contestants to produce a "Bocuse d'Or-like" series of dishes with the requisite fancy plating. It was pretty interesting and led me to this book. The USA team has never won the bi-annual competition, but some serious focus and money has come into play in this country, starting with the 2009 USA team, so it will be interesting to see how the USA fares in coming competitions. The Bocuse d'Or itself is held in Lyon, France, which many view as the REAL home of serious food in France, not Paris. The book does a good job of providing the reader with "You are there!" blow-by-blow action, and clearly author Andrew Friedman had a lot of exposure to both the team members, those who competed to gain a spot on the team, and to the chefs and backers who supported the USA. He does have an at times overly enthusiastic "Gee, whiz, this is so darn cool!" writing style, which can be distracting, but, well, the whole thing really is kind of cool. This is a good read for foodies and chef groupies.