The opening weekend of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival will feature the USA competition for the prestigious Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest. The biennial competition has previously been held at the National Restaurant Association’s convention in Chicago.

Jerome Bocuse, general manager of Chefs de France and son of Bocuse d’Or founder Paul Bocuse, will announce the eight American finalists this morning at a press conference at db Bistro Moderne in New York. Dieter Hannig, global vice president for food and beverage at Walt Disney World, chef Daniel Boulud and Gerard Collomb, mayor of Lyon, France, where the Bocuse d’Or takes place, will also participate in the announcement.

The eight finalists are expected to be: Michael Rotondo, chef de cuisine at Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago ; Timothy Hollingsworth, sous chef, French Laundry, Napa; Damon Wise, corporate chef, Craft restaurants, New York; Hung Huynh, Top Chef winner; Rogers Powell, instructor, French Culinary Institue, New York; Richard Rosendale, chef/owner Rosendale’s, Columbus, and US Culinary Olympic Team Captain; Percy Whatley, executive chef, Delaware North Companies, Yosemite; and Kevin Sbraga, culinary director, Garces Restaurant Group, Philadelphia.

The finalists were selected from applicants from across the country who submitted recipes for review by a panel of judges.

During the semi-finals at Epcot, the participants will be required to prepare dishes from a list of supplied ingredients within a limited time frame. The winner of the semi-finals will represent the United States at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon in January. Twenty-four countries will participate for gold, silver and bronze medals.

Since its inception in 1987, Bocuse d’Or has never had an American place among the winners.

“We think that this will give an incredible opportunity to be recognized here in Central Florida as a food destination,” Hannig said in an e-mail.