The results of the world’s most demanding chef competition, Bocuse d’Or, were revealed yesterday, Monday.
The Finnish team’s assistant Aino Kasanen, coach Kalle Tanner and representative Johan Kurkela got the help of one cook. Santeri Stenvall
Denmark won the Bocuse d’Or chef competition held in Lyon, France. Norway came second and Hungary third. Finland ranked sixth.
Bocuse d’Or is the world’s most prestigious cooking competition, with 24 countries participating in the final. Finnish representative Johan Kurkela and an assistant Aino Kasanen got 1880 points. Denmark had 2076 points, second place Norway 1971 points and Hungary 1955 points.
– Despite the minor difficulties, we got the food to the judges as we planned. Among other things, we received a lot of compliments about the way the fish was prepared. In a tough race, even small point differences matter. This is good to continue, Johan Kurkela says in the press release.
The cheering crowd kept the atmosphere in the grandstand alive. Santeri Stenvall
In the competitions, a three-course children’s menu was prepared from pumpkin, which was evaluated by a jury of professional chefs. There had to be a playfulness in the portions that appealed to the child target group.
Finnish judge Eero Vottonen tasted 72 servings of pumpkin.
– There was a lot of variation in the pumpkin task – there was a clear level difference between the best and the worst. In addition to taste, appearance and other usual criteria, our task was to interpret the playfulness of the dishes, which was challenging. I think some of them had too much playfulness, while others had not taken it into account in any way, Vottonen says in the press release.
Vottonen guesses that the Finnish team’s appetizer has divided the judges’ opinions. Judge-specific scores will not be announced at the results ceremony.
Kitchen work was evaluated separately. Santeri Stenvall
The mandatory ingredients of the competition dish presented on a serving platter were monkfish and scallop. In addition, two side dishes had to be prepared, a sauce and a side dish made from mussels and a leguminous plant characteristic of the competitor’s country, served in a separate dish. The Finnish side dish was pea soup.
A jury of 24 evaluates the dishes based on taste, appearance, use of main ingredients and originality. In addition, the kitchen work is evaluated by a separate jury.