Best ever Bocuse d’Or Competition placement for Finland

Finland took 4th place in the world championship for chefs. The Finnish competitor Mr. Matti Jämsén, his assistant Mr. Antti Lukkari and coach Mr. Eero Vottonen brought their 5hr 35mins ordeal by fire to a close in a calm and collected manner, with splendid results. The team’s intensive 2- year training period came to its high point at the Eurexpo Centre in Lyon.

Matti Jämsen’s 4th placement is an all- time greatest result for Finland.

The 2015 Bocuse d’Or competition was won by Norway,  with silver for the USA and Sweden at 3rd place. Finland secured 4th position with a tight 11 point difference after Sweden. Jämsén and his team took the Best Meat Dish Award and Lukkari was rewarded as the entire contest’s Best  Apprentice.

– We are very pleased. We came to improve our previous result and in that we succeeded, as well as in upgrading the best ever Finnish position from 5th to 4th. We did everything right and I’m really proud of us, Jämsén smiles.

While carrying out their work in a casual manner throughout the competition, Team Finland pieced together a narrative of the Finnish forest. Finland could be seen in the dishes for example in the form of wild berries and mushrooms as well as Finnish caviar and reindeer. The forest featured also in the form and decoration of the winning platter. The meat platters made by Jämsén have always been among the competition prime produce, with Finland taking the Best Meat Dish Award even in the European qualifications. Jämsén’s platters have been arranged by designer Pekka Paikkari.

Bocuse d´Or 2015 - The Best Meat Dish by Matti Jämsén and Team Finland @Timo Kauppila

Bocuse d´Or 2015 – Best Meat Dish by Matti Jämsén & Team FInland @Timo Kauppila

 

– This was a high-class competition, with more top- level teams than before.
Getting into the top five rank among them required a lot of hard work.

– The Finnish placement is excellent! This has been the best performance by Finland so far and it came during the toughest contest ever. This competition becomes harder year by year and the differences in the points received are marginal, states the Finnish jury representative, Pekka Terävä.

Terävä reminds us that an outcome such as is not possible without resilient long- term work, a common goal for various actors and persistent involvement of all those concerned. The Finnish Bocuse d’Or – work continues.

– This was the 12th time with a Finnish contestant and each time we’ve learned a lot. This time around, work was carried out more concisely than ever. It is wonderful to see Finland take part in international top quality bouts and that we now have this  unprecedented  qualification. The stunning forest narrative constructed by Matti and his team was inspiring and provides new future possibilities, as stated by Seija Kurunmäki, Chair of the ELO Foundation. ELO has been responsible for accumulating funding and partnerships for the Finnish team’s participation in Bocus d’Or. It has been a close-knit development process, for which Kurunmäki extends her thanks to all associates.

Bocuse d´Or 2015 parhaan lihavadin yksityiskohtia @Timo Kauppila

Beautiful details from  Team Finland´s meat dish ”Guinea Fowl Lapland @Timo Kauppila

More information on the dishes
Have a look at the enenchanted forrest of Matti Jämsén
Download press photographs

Check out Bocuse d´Or Finlands´Facebook page
#bocusefi, #teamfinland, #bocusedor

Further information:
Liisa Niemi, Promotion Manager, Bocuse d’Or Team Finland
+358 500 957 296
liisa.niemi@elo-saatio.fi

Pekka Terävä, President, Bocuse d’Or Team Finland
+358 50 569 7095

Seija Kurunmäki, Chair, ELO – Foundation for Promoting Finnish Food Culture
+358 400 460894
seija.kurunmaki@elo-saatio.fi

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Bocuse d’Or is the most prestigious gastronomic competition in the world. The final takes place in Lyon on January 27th and 28th 2015. The competition has been arranged since 1987. Finland has taken part 11 times. In the competition of 2015, Finland is represented by experienced chef de cuisine Matti Jämsén and commis Antti Lukkari. The team’s coach is Eero Vottonen and its jury representative Pekka Terävä.

The ELO Foundation for Promotion of Finnish Food Culture is responsible for arranging the Bocuse d’Or competition in Finland. ELO Foundation brings together food culture actors, visionaries and resources to co-operate for the good of Finnish gastronomy in Finland and internationally.

Jatka lukemista

ELO

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