Nordic chef reigns supreme at culinary Olympic stadium in Europe
In an early sign that Scandinavian chefs may continue their domination of a culinary competition known as the ‘Olympics' of the food world, a Norwegian chef beat out 20 rivals to take home a title that effectively makes him the Iron Chef of Europe.
At the Bocuse d'Or Europe competition held in Brussels Wednesday, chef Orjan Johannessen, 26, of Norway was crowned the winner by a panel of judges headed by another heavyweight in the world of gastronomy, Brazilian Chef Alex Atala of D.O.M. known for his Amazonian-inspired cooking.
Johannessen is the latest Nordic chef to pull off an award-winning performance at the Bocuse d'Or competition, a biennial Iron Chef of sorts which challenges chefs to cook the meal of their lifetime in five and a half hours.
The two-day cookout whittled down 20 contenders from across Europe to 12 semi-finalists, who will go on to the finals in Lyon next year where they will compete against chefs from around the world.
After Johannessen, Swedish chef Adam Dahlberg took home the silver medal in the European regionals, followed by Jeppe Foldager of Denmark.
For the last few editions, Scandinavian chefs have proven to be the culinary competitors to beat, as representatives from Norway, Denmark and Sweden have consistently finished in the top three placements at the Bocuse d'Or finals.
The overall winner of the competition in 2011, for instance, was Danish chef Rasmus Kofoed, who helms Geranium restaurant in Copenhagen. Kofoed was awarded his first Michelin star in the latest Europe guide released this month. In silver and bronze places were chefs from Sweden and Norway respectively.
At Wednesday's regional finals, competitors were challenged to create two dishes: a sole with shrimp, and a poultry dish with three garnishes each. Johannessen's sole stuffed with shrimp, black bread and dill particularly impressed judges and earned him a €12,000 jackpot in prize money.
Nordic cuisine is enjoying the height of popularity thanks in part to trailblazing chefs like René Redzepi whose Copenhagen restaurant Noma has twice been named the best in the world, and chef Magnus Nilsson, whose rustic, farmhouse restaurant in the backwoods of the Swedish wilderness, Fäviken Magasinet, has attracted international attention. Both chefs espouse a philosophy of cooking that focuses on hyper local ingredients.
The final Bocuse d'Or competition which crowns the international winner is set to take place in Lyon, France, January 29-30, 2013.
To watch how the European finals of the Bocuse d'Or unfolded, visit http://www.bocusedor.com/web-tv.
