Raleigh chef Danny Cerqueda (shown above, photo credit: Bonjwing Lee) cooked for five hours Sunday, serving up platters of intricate cod and chicken dishes, for a chance to represent the United States at the equivalent of the culinary Olympics.

But his cooking chops weren't enough to go to the Bocuse d'Or, an international culinary competition held every two years in Lyon, France.

Cerqueda, 31, the executive sous chef at the Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, finished fourth.  Richard Rosendale, executive chef at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV., was chosen to represent the United States in France in 2013.

His mentor, Patrick Colley, executive chef at the Carolina Country Club, said he was proud of Cerqueda's performance. "Any time you put yourself in that position to be judged by your peers, there's nothing to be but proud. I think he represented himself, the club and the city quite well."

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Raleigh chef Danny Cerqueda, the executive sous chef at the Carolina Country Club, is a finalist to represent the United States in the culinary Olympics known as the Bocuse d'Or.

Cerqueda is one of four finalists who will compete Jan. 29 at the Culinary Institute of America to represent the United States at the contest in France next year. If he is chosen, Cerqueda will have a year to prepare under the tutelage of Chef Gavin Kaysen, who represented the United States in 2007; Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea, the molecular gastronomy mecca in Chicago; and Chef Gabriel Kreuther, who runs The Modern, a fine dining destination at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Cerqueda was one of 12 semifinalists last year. His boss, Patrick Colley, executive chef at the Carolina Country Club, was a semifinalist for the Bocuse d'Or USA in 2004.

The Bocuse d'Or was started by Chef Paul Bocuse in 1987. Every two years, 24 teams of one chef and an assistant representing different countries create elaborate meat and fish platters. They are judged on taste, presentation, technical skill and overall kitchen organization. The contest is more well-known outside the United States. But a foundation was created in 2008 to provide more support for the U.S. team.

The other finalists include: Bill Bradley, a chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Cambridge, MA; Jeffrey Lizotte, chef de cuisine at Onzo in Hartford, CT; and Richard Rosendale, executive chef at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV.