Three hungry chefs to compete for Finland's participation at Bocuse d'Or
Finland will participate in the world’s most challenging gastronomic competition, Bocuse d’Or, for the 14th time. The candidates for the Bocuse d’Or national selection have been chosen: Finland will be represented by either chef de cuisine Ismo Sipeläinen from Helsinki’s Finnjävel restaurant, executive chef Benjamin Frostell from Brasserie L’amour in Porvoo, or Tommi Tuominen, restaurateur at the Michelin-awarded restaurant Demo and restaurateur-chef at Finnjävel.
Sipeläinen, Tuominen and Frostell were picked out of the applicants based on their professional and competitive experience. The preliminary competition is open to the public and is held on 7 November at the Supper Fest event held at the Fiskars Campus Showroom in Helsinki.
The chef representing Finland’s national entry in the Bocuse d’Or finale will commit to training full-time for the European selection and finale for over a year.
”The preliminary competition will be a tough one, really testing the stress levels of the competitors. We are building the set-up to resemble the European selection round and the international finale. Finland has an ambitious aim to be placed among the top spots for the first time, so the requirements will match this aim,” says Matti Jämsén, president of the Bocuse d’Or team and two-time representative of Finland in the competition.
The preliminary contestants have 5 hours 35 minutes to prepare 14 plates of a single dish of Finnish pike perch and shrimps, and a dish using a duck and duck heart for 12 people served on a tray along with two individual servings on a plate. The seafood dish must include a minimum of 60 % of vegetables.
The competition jury is composed of renowned chefs who will evaluate the flavour and presentation of the dishes, as well as the kitchen skills of the contestants: technique, hygiene, and minimising waste. In addition, the contestants will be judged on their suitability and motivation, which are evaluated through interviews.
Additional information:
Bocuse d’Or Team Finland
President Matti Jämsén, +358 400 729 099
Promotion Manager Mari Cadaut, +358 40 5878053 (also for interview requests)
ELO Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture
Director Seija Kurunmäki. +358 400 460 894
http://www.elo-saatio.fi/en
www.facebook.com/bocusedorfinland
Bocuse d’Or is the most prestigious culinary competition in the world. It has been organised since 1987. The European selection rounds for the 2018-2019 season are held in Turin, Italy in June 2018. The finale is hosted in Lyon, France in January 2019. Finland has previously participated 13 times in the competition. Our best placement to date was in 2015 when Matti Jämsén came in fourth. Finland’s national team is coordinated by the ELO Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture.
The ELO Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture calls together the doers, visionaries, and resources in and around Finnish food culture. We promote collaboration leading to better recognition of food culture in Finland, as well as international interest in it.
We encourage Finns to eat together during the Finland 100 celebratory year, and after it. We strengthen wild food know-how, and link school food professionals together to communicate the uniqueness of Finnish school food. We also highlight the skills and experience of Finnish restaurant professionals through the annual chef and waiter contests, and by organising the national participation in the Bocuse d’Or international gastronomic competition.
