The Olympics were a proud moment in China’s recent history, but the Games will pale in comparison with the next big competition being held on these shores ... cue drum roll ... the Bocuse d’Or. What do you mean you’ve never heard of it? It’s only the most prestigious cooking contest in the world. The Asian leg of the competition is coming to Shanghai in March, and local chef Shi Jingshen is aiming to win gold on home soil.

Established by chef Paul Bocuse in 1987, the competition takes the world’s best chefs and pits them against each other in front of a live audience. The final round is held every two years in Lyon, with continental qualifying rounds in off years. From March 17-19, chefs from 11 countries will come to Shanghai to compete in Bocuse D’Or Asia. The top four get a much-coveted place in next year’s final.

As the host nation, hopes are riding high that China’s entry will put on a prize-winning performance. It’s a lot of pressure for Shi, the sous chef at Stiller’s. But the 38-year old Shanghainese man is up for the challenge. “I am not worried at all,” he told me. “There is no point in worrying. I want to enjoy it. I don’t care about the other chefs, I will just try my best.”

Shi learned his trade in the hotel industry and has donned his chef hat at some of the city’s most prestigious hotels, including the Portman Ritz-Carlton, the Shangri-La and the Sofitel. More recently he teamed up with Shanghai’s only resident Michelin-starred chef, Stefan Stiller, first at Club Shanghai, then at Mimosa and now Stiller’s.

Like many great chefs, he developed a passion for food early on. “During school holidays I would cook for my family while my parents were at work. I could only find Chinese cookbooks and wanted to learn Western cooking. That’s why I went into hotels.”

Shi is going to have his abilities tested because this competition is all about Western cuisine. The chefs cook only one dish and the central ingredient is compulsory. This year’s theme is halibut. Yes, halibut.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty–will he win first plaice? In short, probably not. Japan, the defending champions from 2008, are the favorite–they even have a Bocuse D’Or academy where candidates train intensively in the months leading up to the event. Shi is squeezing training around his full-time job.

Hang-a-trout, I hear your clued-up cries–isn’t Stefan Stiller one of the judges? Sounds a bit fishy, doesn’t it? Actually you’re right, but he won’t be judging on Shi’s day of competition. Still, his mentorship should give Shi’s odds a boost, and up the chances that China qualifies for a trip to Lyon next year.

-Rachel Platt