La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs® hosted the United States National Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition and Culinary Weekend in Madison recently, and Jones Dairy Farm of Fort Atkinson was the national sponsor!

Did you hear the news that the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs* (the oldest and largest gastronomy and wine society in the world, founded in 1248**!) held their United States National Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs (English translation: Young Chefs who Roast Meat) Competition this past Saturday at Madison Area Technical College in Madison?

The official logo of the Chaine des Rotisseurs gastronomical organization

*Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs has 21,000+ members in 74 countries. There are 130 chapters and about 5,000 members throughout the United States. Revitalized in Paris in 1950, The Chaîne was founded in 1248 in France.
**What was happening on or around this date in 1248? Well, on May 15, 1248, Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden laid the cornerstone for Cologne Cathedral!

To be eligible to compete in this prestigious competition, chefs must be twenty-seven years old or younger as of September 1^st of this year. Not unlike the cooking shows we’ve all come to know and love on television, competitors in this contest are required to successfully plan, prepare, and plate three courses in four hours using a mystery basket of ingredients, plus a stocked pantry of basic staples and spices. This elite competition has been taking place since 1977, when the first International Competition was held in Switzerland. Starting in 1990, a U.S. National Competition began. The winner of the U.S. National Competition will advance to the International Competition taking place in Istanbul, Turkey this October 4-8.

This year, Fort Atkinson’s own Jones Dairy Farm stepped up as the national sponsor of this competition. Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism and Marketing Manager, Holly Tierney, and Executive Director, Shauna Wessely, had the pleasure this past Friday of attending a beautiful outdoor picnic honoring these students and learning more about Jones Dairy Farm and Jones Dairy Farm’s Chairman, President and CEO, Philip Jones, and his dedication to the culinary world.

Jones Dairy Farm grounds: A beautiful old greenhouse

Along with being the great, great grandson of the company’s founder, Milo C. Jones, Philip is a classically trained chef, recipient of the prestigious Honorary Fellowship to The American Academy of Chefs, past member of the Culinary Institute of America Board of Trustees, received the Presidential Medallion from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) in 2021, and is a recipient of the Antoine Careme medal. Philip was unable to attend the picnic because at the same time he was being inducted into The Honorable Order of the Golden Toque!

Photo credit: https://www.jonesdairyfarm.com/
Philip Jones Appointed to Académie Brillat-Savarin Board of Governors: Jones Dairy Farm Chairman and CEO Philip Jones being appointed to the Board of Governors of The Académie Brillat-Savarin, a committee founded by the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. Philip is one of only ten Governors.

As you can see, it’s quite fitting for Jones Dairy Farm to be such a supportive part of this student meat roasting competition. You couldn’t find a company that has more perfect ties to both meat and appreciation for the culinary arts.

Recognize that beautiful old farm house peeking out from behind the trees? It’s the iconic image you see on the Jones Dairy Farm packaging.

Representatives of Jones Dairy Farm gave attendees some background on the history of the company. Folks sometimes wonder why it’s called “Jones Dairy Farm” when it’s a company that specializes in natural, gluten-free breakfast meats. The simple answer is that at one time, Jones Dairy Farm focused on a variety of products, including dairy, but have honed their specialties over the years. Because the name was recognized and respected, they kept it, just making the words “Dairy Farm” in their logo a little smaller and the word “Jones” a little bigger. For those of you who love all things marketing and branding, here’s a look at a few of their logos over the years:

Photo credit: Jonesdairyfarm.com
Jones Dairy Farm logos over the years

Lisa Caras, Jones Dairy Farm Marketing Manager and step-daughter to Philip Jones, shares information about the Jones Dairy Farm portfolio of products with event attendees

Friday’s picnic attendees enjoyed a variety of meats, plenty of bacon (naturally!), and delicious lentil, fruit, or veggie salads. After learning about the fascinating history of Jones Dairy Farm, they had the rare opportunity to tour the Jones Dairy Farm plant and make sausage!

Back to those talented young chefs, (from this Globe News Wire article from May, 2023): “The purpose of this competition is to encourage and promote the culinary expertise of young chefs in the tradition of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs by exposing them to a competitive environment with their peers,” said Mark Wright, Vice Conseiller Culinaire et des Professionnels des Etats-Unis. And “The JCR competition also offers the opportunity for the young chefs to showcase their talents and creativity in an international arena. The goal is to encourage cultural differences in food presentation and preparation using a traditional approach,” said Chef Reimund Pitz, Conseiller Culinaire et des Professionnels des Etats-Unis.

Eight regional chefs rounded out the U.S. finalists who were competing in the United States National Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition. They were:

• Charles Carpenter (Far West Province)
• Kenneth Wong (Hawaii Province)
• Bryce Booth (Midwest Province)
• Jedidah Gaskin (Northeast Province)
• Danika Holty (Pacific Northwest Province)
• Fares Fiala (Southeast Province)
• Austin Adams (South Central Province)
• Torian Jenkins (Southwest Province)

Attendees were welcome to watch the students compete and hear critiques from the judges, who are Chaîne’s professional members. Along with Jones Dairy Farm, Waterloo’s Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese and others were involved in the planning and execution of this past weekend’s many events. “Their commitments further enhance the experience of this competition and culinary weekend for both our competitors and members,” said Bertrand de Boutray, Bailli Délégué des Etats-Unis.

Students and other picnic attendees received insulated shopping bags from Jones Dairy Farm, so they could peruse the Jones Market at the end of their visits and select meats of their choosing to use later in the competition. Here were some of their choices.

Meat from the Jones Market

Seasoning/Sauce/Condiment display at the Jones Market

Never been to the Jones Market? It’s a cute shop on the same property as the Jones Dairy Farm plant, adjacent to the bike path. With ice cream for overheated bicyclists and fresh meat for other shoppers (bring a cooler!), it’s a must-visit location when exploring Fort Atkinson.

At the Jones Market