Norwegian Chef wins Bocuse d’Or 2009

The Bocuse d'Or 2009 was held on 27-28 January 2009 in Lyon, France. This prestigeous award was won by Geir Skeie, chef at Mathuset Solvold in Sanefjord, Norway.

Started in 1987, the Bocuse d'Or has become a most prestigious award, with chefs from all over the world fiercely competing for the coverted title.

Chefs must prepare dishes based on a set menu. The menu for 2009 was:

Meat dish to serve 14 persons : Scotch Beef Aberdeen Angus

1 Angus fillet steak 2 kg to 2.5 kg
1 ox tail (approximately 1 kg) 
2 ox cheeks (approximately 500 g per cheek)
3 beef ribs (3 to 4 kg total, supplied not stripped)

Fish dish to serve 14 persons : Norwegian Sea Products

Norwegian Fresh Cod: 1 piece 5 to 6 kg (11 lbs – 12 lbs), complete with its head 
Norwegian King Scallops, 45 pieces with their shells (12-13cm) 
Norwegian Wild Prawns, uncooked, 3 kg (6.5 lbs)

For the first time, competitors were also judged on “Methodology – cleanliness- Proper use of products” as follows:

Article 7 - Note "Methodology - Cleanliness - Proper use of products"

The Kitchen Supervision Committee also mark participants in their kitchen cubicles out of a total of 20 points for "method - cleanliness - appropriate use of the products". This mark also takes into account the respect and proper use of the products, the method, cleanliness and proper use of the products in order to minimise waste. These points will be used to decide the winners in the event of a tie.

Gold medal: Geir Skeie, chef at Mathuset Solvold in Sanefjord, Norway.
Silver medal: Jonas Lundgren, Sweden
Bronze medal: Philippe Mille, chef at Hotel Le Meurice in Paris. He won the bronze medal after loosing 12 points for finishing his dish 1 minute later than requested.

About Paul Bocuse:

Bocuse is one of the most prominent chefs associated with the nouvelle cuisine, which is less opulent and calorific than the traditional haute cuisine.”

Bocuse insists on the importance of fresh ingredients of the highest quality.

3 Michelin stars, National Order of Merit, and the French Legion of Honour, are just a few titles awarded to Paul Bocuse.

His restaurant and 5 brasseries are in or around Lyon in France.

The restaurant serves the famous soupe aux truffes(truffle soup),created by Bocuse for a presidential dinner at the Elysée Palace in 1975.

On your next visit in Lyon, order a Soupe V.G.E., V.G.E being the initials of former president of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Auberge du Pont de Collenges
40, rue de la Plage
69660 Collonges au Mont d’Or

To find out more about Paul Bocuse: www.bocuse.fr

The French candidate this year is Philippe Mille currently chef at Hotel Le Meurice in Paris.