Happy birthday Bocuse d’Or !
Haute couture gastronomy celebrates its 20th Anniversary
January 23 and 24, 2007 at the Sirha, Lyon-Eurexpo

In 1987, Paul Bocuse imagined a totally new contest, in which a score of chefs, selected from the best kitchens in the world, cooked simultaneously before the public. 20 years later, all the rising talents in gourmet cooking dream of attending and participating in the Bocuse d' Or in their turn. A book will be published for this anniversary. A real success story.

Watching an international-class chef performing is an impressive experience. Put 24 side by side and the spectacle is simply mind-boggling … And if you then add stands full of fans the result is kitchen magic transformed into an extraordinary event! Paul Bocuse had the original idea for this unique contest 20 years ago. The idea was to show the general public what makes good chefs great.

A new concept…
The basic idea is simple: competing chefs have five and a half hours and a small, fully-equipped, separate, kitchen to prepare and cook a meat dish and a fish dish. Although the basic commodities are predefined, the chefs have a free hand for the preparation and the choice of all the side-dishes and sauces. The only requirement is to titillate the taste buds of the score of internationally-famous chefs on the Jury.
This simple game rule is spiced by the presence of noisy spectators. Installed on grandstands, facing the kitchens open like mini-stages, the fans follow each step in cooking the recipes and note each Masters' expertise. They often come in groups to support "their" contestant, sing, shout, shake their rattles and blow their foghorns to put more pressure on the opponents.
This ambiance is what makes the Bocuse d'Or so different

…enjoyed enthusiastically all over the world
During the 10 contests so far, the Bocuse d'Or magic has grown in importance to unimaginable proportions. Some countries like Norway select their candidates nearly two years before the contest so that they have time to prepare psychologically and physically, can rehearse their recipes hundreds of times, mobilise their fan-clubs and find sponsors to finance the adventure. In other countries, like Japan, excitement rises to fever pitch and the contest is broadcast live on a national TV channel.
Iceland charters an aircraft painted in Bocuse d'Or livery to bring its team to Lyon.
The Bocuse d' Or is so successful that national, then continental heats have to be organized to select candidates. This year, the Copa Azteca, held from September 28 to 30, 2006, in Mexico City, selected the chefs to represent Latin America (Argentina, Brazil and Mexico).