Wednesday, January 28 / The Grand Finale

GASTRONOMY / The Atelier at The Bocuse d’Or / Ultimate Moments / Wednesday, January 28 / The Grand Finale

Is Norway the new world capital of gastronomy? As 28-year-old Norwegian chef Geir Skeie and his team were popping open the champagne to celebrate their Bocuse d'Or victory in Lyon tonight, more than a few of us at the awards ceremony were mulling over this possibility. This is the fourth time Norway has won top honours since the coveted Bocuse d'Or prize was created in 1987. And it turns out that Jonas Lundgren, who took second prize tonight for Sweden, currently operates a restaurant located not in his native country but across the sea — in Norway.So what happened to France? The quick answer is that France was late with the fish. Each team in competition was required to submit one meat dish and one fish dish for consideration by the Bocuse jury. Philippe Mille, 34, and his French team prepared an elaborate concoction involving cod, prawns, leeks, baby squid, sea urchin roe, scallops, baby spinach and caviar. A spectacular effort, but they were late getting it to table. Only a minute late, apparently, but that was enough to cost them big points. France finished third, behind the Scandinavians.There was a time (1987-1999, to be specific) when France couldn't lose. The Bocuse d'Or was more consecration than competition. At each awards ceremony, French supporters in the stands in the Lyon auditorium have outnumbered and out-shouted everyone else, and why shouldn't they? The Bocuse d'Or is their biennial pilgrimage, and they come to renew their faith in the superiority of French cuisine."France's lofty culinary stature and the sense of entitlement that comes with representing the French team at the Bocuse d'Or have gone unchallenged. Until now"If anyone was more surprised than the French tonight, it was the American delegation. No American has ever taken home the Bocuse d'Or trophy, but this time around, all the smart money was on Timothy Hollingsworth. He even got a blessing from Paul Bocuse himself. Before the competition began, "Monsieur Paul" (who turns 82 in February) had told reporters he was expecting to see Hollingsworth in the winner's circle. Hollingsworth is sous-chef at the three-star French Laundry in California. In preparation for the Bocuse d'Or, his boss, Thomas Keller, had not only given him a leave of absence, he had arranged for Hollingsworth to train with legendary French chef Roland Henin in a specially outfitted cooking facility near the restaurant. Both Keller — invited to the Bocuse d'Or as honorary president — and Henin were in attendance tonight, ensuring maximum star wattage for Hollingsworth's corner. American fans in the stands waved flags and shouted, "Yes we can!" but no, they didn't. The U.S. came in sixth, behind Switzerland and just ahead of Iceland.As the awards ceremony drew to a close, it was also time to draw the curtains on Nespresso's first Atelier de Création. Sang Hoon Degeimbre and his team from the l'Air du Temps restaurant proved more than up to the task of demonstrating food-pairing techniques and elaborating on the general principles of avant-garde haute cuisine. The workshops had been a resounding success, not only as a place of learning but also as a meeting point for old friends and new acquaintances. But all good things must come to end, and Degeimbre gathered his troops for the trip back to Belgium. Tomorrow would be a busy day. They have a restaurant to run.