Stavanger Whets its Appetite in Anticipation of the Bocuse d’Or Europe
1-2 July 2008
20 europäische Köche werden im Juli in Norwegen um die 12 Tickets nach Lyon kämpfen! Lesen Sie die Pressemitteilung des Bocuse d’or Komitees (in englischer Sprache)
The Bocuse d’Or Europe will hold its first edition in Norway.
20 European chefs will compete for a place in the Bocuse d’Or finals, offering a great opportunity to open the contest to new cuisine traditions and talents!
20 chefs from 20 European countries will converge on Stavanger in July 2008 in order to earn their participation in the Bocuse d’Or finals. The Bocuse d’Or Europe is a new contest that aims to become the new gastronomic reference in Europe. Join us on 1st and 2nd July 2008 at Stavanger in Norway to appreciate cuisine at its best.
A prelude to the Bocuse d’Or
Like the Bocuse d’Or, the Bocuse d’Or Europe will be held as part of „Buffet“ a trade exhibition dedicated to out-of-home catering. Stavanger will also be hosting the international conference „Food for the Future“, on 30th June and 1st July, during the exhibition.
Like the Bocuse d’Or, the event will take place over two days, with the candidate chefs performing in open kitchen cubicles facing the audience. Finally, after the style of its international parent event, the judges for the Bocuse d’Or Europe will be the best chefs from the participating countries, and the event will reward the most talented candidates.
A specific feature of the Bocuse d’Or Europe is that the candidates will have a limited time in which to prepare one meat dish and one fish dish with their respective garnishing (whereas in the Bocuse d’Or presentation is made on both a dish and a plate).
A symphony composed with original notes
The Bocuse d’Or Europe will stage the best promising talents in European gastronomy: the five European countries that finished first in the previous edition of the Bocuse d’Or, as well as fifteen other European countries selected on the basis of their application file. This new selection process will offer nations that have never had a taste of the Bocuse d’Or an opportunity to show their talent and possibly earn a place for the international contest. This method has successfully been tried out in South America during the previous edition of the Bocuse d’Or: the Copa Azteca made it possible for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico to earn their participation in the Lyons finals.
Stavanger and Norway will be the conductors
SepelCom, the organiser of the contest, received many application files for hosting the event. For this first European selection event, the Organising Committee has decided to select Stavanger in Norway. Situated near the fjords, Stavanger is the forth largest city in the country, a capital of gastronomy and also an important centre for the Norwegian oil industry. Better known for its XVIIIth and XIXth century timber houses, the city has been designated European Capital of Culture in 2008.
An open port
Superb landscapes and ideal geographic situation ensure Stavanger’s popularity with both tourists and artists. Many events are scheduled for 2008, including an exhibition of local arts and crafts, a large open air theatre built after the style of an antique Greek theatre, and modern architecture using Norwegian timber.
The city is open to art and to all forms of expressions, and aims to offer a source of inspiration for other smaller-sized European regions.
Stavanger is the largest northern European city for which timber is used in constructions.
The success of Norwegian gastronomy
For the Bocuse d’Or Europe, Stavanger is also a strategic choice, as Norway has always played an important role in the Bocuse d’Or: the country’s representatives have won three Bocuse d’Or, two Bocuse d’Argent (2nd place) and one Bocuse de Bronze (3rd place). Eyvind Hellstrøm will chair the Bocuse d’Or Europe; he is president of the Bocuse d’Or Norway and the owner of the only restaurant in Norway (Bagatelle, in Oslo) to have been awarded two macaroons. The Norwegian Bocuse d’Or Academy, that has successfully led so many of the country’s chefs to the top places on the podium, will oversee the running of the contest, together with the International Organising Committee.
Looking towards the finals at Lyons
In addition to their success and new titles, the candidates who will have finished within the twelve first places in the Bocuse d’Or Europe will automatically earn the right to take part in the Bocuse d’Or finals in Lyons. Every two years, this international competition offers an opportunity for 24 chefs from around the world to demonstrate their skills in a dedicated gastronomic arena before a cheering live audience. Covered by many television channels, relayed in the press, this unique contest has become an exceptional worldwide gastronomy event.
For further information visit www.bocusedor.com , www.bocusedor.fr und www.gourmet-report.de/keyword/bocuse/