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The best chef in Europe comes from Norway! Christian Andre Pettersen and the Norwegian team have won the European final at the Bocuse d’Or for the second time.
Thus, it goes to the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, considered the World Culinary Arts World Cup.
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On the podium with him are coach Gunnar Hvarnes, commissioner Even Strandbråten Sørum and Tom Victor Gausdal, president of the Norwegian team, and also part of the referee panel.
Silver at the Bocuse d’Or Europe 2020 went to Denmark and Ronni Vexøe Mortensen, while Sebastian Gibrand’s Swedish team took bronze.
This is not entirely different from the podium the last time the European final was held at Bocuse d’Or, in 2018. At that time, Christian Andre Pettersen and Norway won, with Sweden in second place and Denmark in third; you can read more about this further down in the article.
The Bocuse d’Or European final is held every two years, this time in Tallinn, Estonia. The final is always in Lyon, which was the hometown of Paul Bocuse.
The first prize, for special dish or best dish, went to Sigurdur Laufdal and Iceland, while Davy Tissot and France received an award for their dish.
The competition takes two days, it started yesterday and today, at 10:30, Pettersen was on fire. The first course was delivered four hours later, and the second course was presented at three fifteen Estonian time.
After the presentations, before the awards ceremony itself, the hall took a minute of silence to remember the Finnish president of the Bocuse d’Or, Matti Jämsén, who died yesterday after a brief illness, aged just 41 years.
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– An unknown fish
The main ingredient in the first course, eel catfish, was a fish unknown to Norwegian commentators Harald Osa (from Bama) and Jimmy Øien (Rest).
– I had to google to find out what this was, says Jimmy Øien.
Eventually a colleague realized that it was a very ordinary Estonian fish. It’s like a cross between eel and flounder, and it can easily take on a slightly lumpy consistency, which can be challenging.
CAP served with smooth almond mashed potatoes, wild mushroom pearls, fresh herbs, flowers, crispy baked potato leaves and a crawfish sauce.
The cooks have had access to this fish to know the raw material and practice in training for the competition.
Excited riot
– These are the days that are worst, when we are waiting to enter the box and put down the knife, says Christian André Pettersen to Dagbladet.
Pettersen is Norway’s contestant in the Bocuse d’Or European final, which this year takes place in Tallinn, Estonia. Here, the best chefs from European countries will compete for one of the ten places at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon next year. The Lyon final is considered the most prestigious cooking competition in the world.
– That wait … I’ve been training for so long, now I just want to start!
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The chef was ageless when he decided to win the Bocuse d’Or. When he was nine years old, he heard his father and friends talk about Terje Ness winning gold at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon.
– It was as if Dad, on behalf of the entire Norwegian cooking team, had also won the World Cup. I remember thinking at the time, “I’ll get this too someday. I’ll make my father proud, “Pettersen had told Dagbladet.
– I’ve seen what the profession of cook can cost
His father, who struggled with both alcohol and finances, advised Pettersen not to pursue the culinary profession. But contrary to his father’s wishes, he went to the kitchen, which could have gone wrong. But his father helped him on the right path, and Pettersen took him by the hand and promised that he would go to the top in Lyon.
– Silver will jump
His father passed away suddenly, but the promise of gold has not lost importance. And Pettersen has been so close. Two years ago he won gold at the Bocuse d’Or Europe, and the following year he won bronze at the world final in Lyon.
In addition to various Norwegian competitions, he has participated in 23 international competitions, where he has won twelve gold, nine silver and two bronze.
Danish chef Rasmus Kofoed is a great role model.
Kofoed took bronze first, then silver and finally gold at Bocuse d’Or. Now he runs, among other things, Geranium, the only restaurant in Denmark with three stars in the Michelin Guide, where the Danish participant works. Kofoed is a coach.
– But I would like to skip the silver in Lyon!
Norge i Bocuse d’Or
- Arne Brimi was the first Norwegian participant in 1987
- Eyvind Hellstrøm ranked fifth in 1989
- Lars Erik Undertun won the first Norwegian medal, silver, in 1991.
- Bent Stiansen was the first Norwegian to win gold in 1993
Other medal winners:
- Odd Solvold, bronze, 1997
- Terje Ness, gold, 1999
- Charles Tjessem, gold, 2003
- Tom Victor Gausdal, silver, 2005
- Geir Skeie, gold, 2008 (Europe) and 2009 (Lyon)
- Gunnar Hvarnes, bronze, 2010
- Ørjan Johannesen, gold, 2012 (Europe)
- Ørjan Johannesen, gold, 2015
- Christopher Davidsen, silver, 2016 (Europe) and silver (Lyon)
- Christian André Pettersen, gold, 2018 (Europe) and bronze (Lyon)
Because in the end it is the world final that counts, we must believe Pettersen.
– In Europe, we will test ourselves a bit, see how the mood is, and you can try and fail as much as you want. Ten are the first to come to the World Cup.
16 nations compete for the top ten places.
– Do you hope to come to the World Cup?
– Anything else would be stupid, now I choose to believe. My goal now is to qualify.
Not only positive with favorite stamp
He believes that there are advantages and disadvantages associated with reaching the top in Europe.
– So you get a huge pre-Lyon favorite label. Maybe it is better to be on the podium, but not on top?
In the previous European final, it rose to the top, ahead of Sweden in second place and Denmark in third. But in Lyon it was the Danes who topped the podium, with Sweden in second place and Norway and CAP in third.
– A favorite label is one thing, but when you’ve been on it before, you may have a different respect for judges.
Different ending
In addition, Tom Victor Gausdal, President of Norwegian Gastronomy, which is the new name of Bocuse d’Or Norway, is the judge of the final. They have all gone through a full crown check and quarantine, and are now ready to go.
However, some are missing.
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– There are usually between 4 and 500 Norwegians who come to run errands for these competitions. They cheer and make a lot of noise, and there are always lots of Norwegian flags in the stands. Now I know there are very strict restrictions, but there will probably be a different atmosphere this year.
But again: we have trained so much that we have isolated ourselves from the noise, so when the clock starts, we lock ourselves inside our own bubble.
Thank you cohabitation
The run up to Bocuse d’Or has been a full time job for the past year. Pettersen is very grateful to the team, and especially to fellow member Ellen Ims:
– We have been together since 2009, so he has been incredibly patient and helped support me. It takes a lot to live with a competent chef and she has been incredibly patient.
In the last year, he has also become increasingly involved in the team.
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– You see the image of the shiny facade, but behind the facade there are heavy days and a huge amount of work. So it is important to know that you have a solid platform at home.
