Bocuse d’Or

BOCUSE D’OR / THE EVENTS / Bocuse d’Or

Masterminded by French chef Paul Bocuse, the living symbol of cooking art cultivated to perfection, the Bocuse d’Or contest reflects his passion for the ultimate culinary experience: identifying the next generation of great chefs. The Bocuse d'Or Asian contest will crown the best Asian chef in Shanghai China in May 2008. Top cooks from 11 countries such as India, China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan will participate. The European contest, organized in the spirit of a “Culinary Olympiad,” hosts the 20 best chefs from 20 countries – from Iceland to Luxemburg, and from Estonia to Switzerland. National finalists will compete for the highest cuisine decoration in the European finale in Stavanger Norway in July.“The best fish comes from the seas and rivers ofNorway,” says Eyvind Hellstrøm, president of the Bocuse d’Or Europe, on the choice of Norway as this year’s host for the European finale. “Since the beginning of the contest, Norway has won 6 places on the podium and is second in terms of overall performance. We will demonstrate our sense of organisation and hospitality towards the 20 nations taking part in the Bocuse d'Or Europe.”Of the 20 chefs taking part in the European tournament, 12 will be selected for the Bocuse d’Or 2009 finals in Lyons, France. Five countries - France, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden – have already qualified thanks to their performance in the 2007 edition of the Bocuse d’Or. In addition to their passport for the Bocuse d’Or finals, the best chefs at the Bocuse d’Or Europe will be awarded a new prestigious title, that of European Champion.So who’s the world’s best chef? We’ll know the answer in January 2009, when the winner of the “Grande Finale" of the International Bocuse d'Or is crowned in Lyons. The two-day competition (January 28-29) will feature 24 chefs from 24 countries. Each of them will have 5 hours and 30 minutes to prepare two recipes, live, for the press and jury. Appointed as the Official Coffee of this year's international, continental and national competitions, Nespresso will treat the chefs, winners-to-be, jurors, gourmets and aficionados of fine cuisine with the ultimate coffee experience in Nespresso Bars and lounges in the VIP spots, the “Espace des Chefs”, the Chef's Village and the visitor's areas.