Anthony Daponte Sousa went through all the feels during his first international cooking competition earlier this month.

His first emotion in the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey was confusion. The gas ovens at the Le Cordon Bleu Istanbul kitchen, where the competition was held, were in Celsius.

“I had to make sure I got certain things calculated to be comfortable using the equipment,” Mr Sousa said. The flame was also hotter than at home. “Other than that, the equipment was beautiful,” he said.

The Crown & Anchor senior chef de partie was surprised when he saw duck in his mystery basket of ingredients. He was expecting lamb or beef, meats the country is known for.

“You had to use the breast and the leg,” the 26-year-old said. “I had cooked duck before, so I was OK with that.”

He was more puzzled by the persimmon in there. He had never seen one before and was not even sure if it was a fruit or a vegetable. (It is a fruit).

“It looks like a tomato,” he said. “It was definitely a curveball for me.”

He stayed calm and persevered.

“The flavour of the persimmons was not overly powerful, so I could play with them and do what I wanted,” he said. “I made them into a glaze for carrots. You had to use at least 25 per cent of each ingredient.”

He and 22 other chefs had four hours to plan a menu, cook three courses and plate for four judges.

He made pan-seared fillet of red mullet with vegetables and spices, and duck two ways.

“I kept the breast simple, seared and sliced,” he said. “I minced up the legs and stuffed them in the eggplant. I also made an orange sauce with a cauliflower purée.”

For dessert he made a soft-centred chocolate cake with feta in the middle with a sweet fig compote at the bottom.

To get ready for the prestigious competition he spent several months training with Butterfield Bank executive chef Christopher Malpas, and Hamilton Princess & Beach Club executive chef Adam Ashe.

“Chris said just push yourself,” Mr Sousa said. “You have to start fast, straight from the beginning. As soon as the clock starts you have to knock out as much work as possible.”

The judges deducted points for every minute over time.

“There is a lot of pressure,” he said. “The hardest part is that you are a one-man team. You only have a limited amount of pots and pans to use, and you have to keep washing them. Time management is challenging.”

In the end, he did not place in the top three.

“I felt every emotion from happiness to sadness,” he said. “There were things, here and there that I could have done better. However, I am proud of what I did.

“I was able to finish on time. It was definitely a learning curve for any future competitions I might do. Now, I have this experience to fall back on.”

During his six days in Turkey he toured factories, markets and spice bazaars.

“I looked in the meat locker of one restaurant we went to,” he said. “I tried to soak in as much knowledge as I could about the culture and food of Turkey.”

He was impressed by the kebabs. “I really wanted to make them at home,” he said. “I bought a bunch of spice blends in the bazaars. I am looking forward to trying them out.”

Mr Malpas went with him to Turkey. “You are at a real disadvantage without a coach with you,” Mr Malpas said.

He had some reservations when he heard the competition was in Turkey. The American State Department recommends caution due to terrorism and arbitrary detentions.

However, he never felt unsafe or threatened. They were always with competition sponsors Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international food and wine organisation.

“There was a lot of security,” Mr Malpas said. “Even just getting into certain areas around the city, you had to go through scanners. Then your bags were scanned.

“Just to get on the plane to go back, we had to go through five layers of security. We only heard that Israel had been attacked on the day we left.”

He was pleased that Mr Sousa stayed calm through the competition and was able to execute the full menu.

“He had a bit of a struggle with the dessert, but kept a level head,” Mr Malpas said.

Mr Sousa now has membership in the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. He cannot do the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs 2023 again; it is a one-time deal, but he would like to compete in another international cook-off, at some point.

His immediate goal is to continue building his career. “I am still young and I have a lot to learn,” he said.

Mr Malpas took part in the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs 1996 in Budapest, Hungary. Local involvement dropped off after Bermuda hosted the competition in 2005.

Now, Mr Malpas wants to see more young Bermudians cooking in it. Mr Sousa would like to help with that, and pass on what he has learnt to the next generation of competitors.

“There will absolutely be more Bermudian chefs taking part in the competition,” Mr Malpas said. “This year was probably the toughest part, just getting everything back up and running. Now we have a framework in place and have been able to see the competition first hand from the international side again.”

Applications for the 2024 competition will open around April or May. For more information see the local Chaîne des Rôtisseurs website www.chainebda.com