Call it the culinary version of the Olympics.

There was the cumulative system of scoring: seven out of ten for originality, eight out of ten for presentation.

There was the play-by-play commentary by judges and spectators alike: "It's not too sweet -- it's nice'' or " Beaucoup de farine (too much flour).'' And at the end, there was also a clear victor: 23-year-old Christopher Malpas, who was this week crowned the Best Young Chef of Bermuda by the prestigious Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs.

"We had,'' local Chaine president Mrs. Josee Roy-Francioni said in announcing the winner, "put together a much simpler menu (for the contest).'' "You (the competitors) came up with some very interesting dishes. I congratulate you on your originality.'' Actually, the Confrerie contest, which was held over four or so tension-filled hours at the Bermuda College on Tuesday, should really have been regarded as a pre-Olympic qualifier, as Mr. Malpas, who recently returned from a stint at the four-star Hotel Alex in Zermatt, must now prepare for an international competition at the Culinary Institute of America on June 16 and 17.

"I'm looking forward to it,'' Mr. Malpas, whose win made him an automatic member of the centuries-old Confrerie, said after the contest. "It'll be good to see how I'll stand on an international level.'' To become the best young chef of Bermuda, Mr. Malpas, a 1991 graduate of the college, beat out two current students, second-year aspirant Mr. Steve Rose-Simons and the "exceptionally gifted'' first-year talent Mr. David Tyrell.

Under the contest's rules, each of the competitors was provided with a basket of ingredients and given three hours to put together a full meal, including an appetiser, a main course and a dessert.

The judges -- a panel of three that included Mrs. Roy-Francioni, Chef Jean-Claude Garzia of Cambridge Beaches in Sandys and Chef Serge Bottelli of Cafe Lido in Paget -- evaluated the trio's performance on the basis of taste, presentation, originality/creativity and organisation/sanitation.

Having planned for, as Mrs. Roy-Francioni alluded in her closing announcement, a simple menu of poached salmon, veal chops with morrels sauce and tarte tatin, they were also clearly delighted with the young chefs' varied submissions.

"Mmmmmm,'' Mrs. Roy-Francioni was overheard to say over Mr. Tyrrel's veal dish.

Added Chef Garzia on the first-year student: "I'm really impressed with this guy. He's gone beyond our expectations.'' Mr. Malpas, meanwhile, clinched his victory over the others by preparing a beautifully presented bill of fare that included an appetiser of stuffed salmon in herb sauce, a main course of perfectly cooked veal over galettes Maxime and an Austrian strudel (which, according to Chef Garzia, was "fantastic'' -- he worked the pastry like a cigarette paper'') for dessert.

Well-versed, apparently, in the differences between a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Pinot Noir, Mr. Malpas, who will join the staff of Cambridge Beaches for the summer season and hopes to work in Vancouver after that, also scored the highest mark in a preliminary exam on wine.

"He (Mr. Malpas) was outstanding in a number of areas, particularly presentation,'' Chef Garzia said, adding: "We would be pleased to have him or indeed any of the three up at Cambridge Beaches.'' Given the exacting standards that were exhibited during the competition, such compliments on the part of the judges constitute no idle chatter. At one point, for example, the very demanding panel deducted 15 points from a dessert for being 15 minutes late.

Uncannily uniform in its decisions at times, it also made no bones about criticising some of the less than perfect submissions.

"Being too nice,'' Chef Bottelli explained, "doesn't help (the competitors).

They may be in another competition someday that may be even tougher.'' And indeed, Mr. Malpas will likely face some stiff opposition when he vies for the title of the Best Young Chef of the United States/Caribbean/Atlantic on the outskirts of New York City next month.

That contest, which will mark the first time a Bermudian competes in such an event, is to include at least 18 competitors from various points in the region.

"It's a very prestigious competition,'' Mrs. Roy-Francioni said. "We (in the Chaine) are very proud to be sending a young Bermudian chef to it.'' Of course, Mr. Malpas has already scored a coup by simply becoming a member of the Chaine, an ancient gastronomic society that was established under the reign of St. Louis of France to perpetuate the standards of the royal table and eventually grew into one of the most powerful trade guilds in Europe.

Disbanded in 1791, the Chaine was revived in 1950 by five French food lovers who wanted to restore the pride in culinary excellence that had been lost in the republic during the period of wartime shortages.

A Bermuda chapter of the Confrerie, which is now the largest gastronomic organisation in the world, was established six years ago.

"I was elected bailli (an old French word for president) in May of last year,'' said Mrs. Roy-Francioni, who will serve a three-year term. "We organise about five gastronomic functions per year and currently have about 50 members.'' Correction: the Bermuda chapter of the Chaine had 50 members.

With Mr. Malpas' win, that tally has shot up to 51, and there are very strong signs that it will keep on growing.

"We were very pleased with the quality of the competitors and the way the contest has turned out,'' Mrs. Roy-Francioni said in a hint of the things that may come.

"We are thinking very seriously of making this an annual event.'' BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST -- The Bermuda College joined forces with the local chapter of the Paris-based Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs this week to seek out the Best Young Chef of Bermuda. After a tension-filled morning that saw competitors (shown at top) whip up such dishes as veal chops in a morrel sauce (left) and poached salmon with cream (middle), Christopher Malpas, 23, (at right) emerged victorious, winning both a place in the Confrerie and the chance to represent Bermuda at the Culinary Institute of America contest in New York next month.