Finland won the special prize for the dish at the Bocuse d’Or European final.
The Finnish team included Tommi Tuominen, Mikko Kaukonen, Johan Kurkela and Niilo Suominen in the 2026-2027 competition season. Eeva Paljakka
Finland has won the special prize for the dish in the world’s toughest cooking competition.
The European final of the Bocuse d’Or cooking competition was held on Sunday and Monday in Marseille, France. Finland competed on the first day of the competition.
The top three were Denmark, Norway and Italy. Finland was ranked sixth, but won a special prize for the plate portion.
The Finnish team was formed by Johan Kurkela, Niilo Suominen and Mikko Kaukonen.
– The award for the best dish is a great honor. This award is proof of excellence and the pursuit of perfection in a field where even the smallest details matter, the Bocuse d’Or Academy Finland ry press release describes.
– In Marseille, there was a great atmosphere and a rough mood! The competition performance went well and under pressure we worked well as a team. I’m super proud of our performance. A big thank you to everyone who followed the race and cheered! Johan Kurkela thanks in the press release.
That’s the kind of competition
Organized since 1987, Bocuse d’Or is the world’s most prestigious cooking competition. The competition was founded by a famous French chef and reformer of cooking skills Paul Bocuse.
The competition consists of a performance lasting 5 hours and 35 minutes, during which 14 portions are prepared for serving on a platter and 14 portions for plates.
The most respected chefs of each participating country sat on the competition’s jury. The Finnish judge was the chairman of the board of Bocuse d’Or Academy Finland Tommi Tuominen.
The jury evaluates the dishes based on taste, appearance, use of main ingredients and originality.
The Bocuse d’Or competition lasts two years. In the first year, both country-specific representative qualifiers and continent-specific qualifying rounds are held in Europe, America, Africa and Asia, through which the 24 finalists of the second year are selected.
The final competition will be held in Lyon, France.