History

Bocuse d'Or, 22 years of gourmet history


In January 85, the second edition of the "Salon des Métiers de Bouche", to become the Sirha, was a major success. 750 exhibitors and 70 000 visitors attended the event. In the lift, on their way up to take part in a local TV show commenting on the trade fair, Albert Romain the Director of the Parc des Expositions venue of Lyons, and Paul Bocuse, the famous chef, were talking about the creation of a cooking contest. They agreed this should be "An event that would add a finishing touch to the trade fair", "A show with an international standing". The Bocuse d'Or was born. There were already many cuisine competitions in the profession. Yet, none of these were organised live in front of an audience. "We'll build a row of kitchen booths, we'll have young chefs from all over the world, and a jury composed of international gastronomy stars will taste and mark the performances; all this will happen live in front of an audience sitting comfortably in the gallery", imagined Paul Bocuse. The famous Lyons chef then contacted his chef friends and colleagues from all over the world. Each country was required to select one candidate. The chef in charge of the respective national selections would participate in the international jury during the competition in Lyons. An organisation committee was created to coordinate the tasks, find the sponsors and train the candidates.

 

1987, the first edition of the contest set the stage


Finally, as at the theatre, the curtain was lifted. The audience was present. The world press had answered the call. Over 450 international journalists, 20 radio stations and television channels commented on the event. 20 countries(1) participated in this première, for which the president was Joël Robuchon. The international jury included some of the very best chefs in the world(2). The very first participants endeavoured to surpass themselves in the specially outfitted kitchen cubicles. Supporters were cheering on from the galleries situated opposite the kitchens. Photographers and camera operators bustled around the dishes presented before the jury for tasting… The first day, the semifinals dedicated to the fish dish (salmon), eliminated half the contestants. The next day, the Bresse chicken dish served to single out the best among the eleven chefs still in the competition.

The climax was reached when Paul Bocuse announced the name of the first laureate: Jacky Freon! The French candidate won the trophy, designed by César the famous sculptor, and also $10,000 in prize money. The chef reports "I had left the Lutétia quite calmly, with my case of knives and some dishes borrowed from the restaurant. When I returned, the entire hotel staff were waiting for me. They had decorated a whole suite with newspaper cuttings relating the feat! I hadn't realised the proportions the event had reached. During the two months following the contest I was constantly contacted by journalists. Also, over the same period, the restaurant turnover increased by 40%. The success was such that Sonia Rykiel designed special plates for me to present the Bocuse d'Or dishes on the menu."

(1) Afrique du Sud, Allemagne, Angleterre, Autriche, Belgique, Canada, Danemark, Espagne, Etats-Unis, France, Hong-Kong, Irlande, Italie, Japon, Luxembourg, Malaisie, Norvège, Pays-Bas, Suède, Suisse.

(2) Bruce Burns, Eckart Witzigmann, Heinz Winckler, Albert Roux, Werner Berger, Werner Matt, Pierre Romeyer, Albert Schnell, Arne Fusager, Juan Maria Arzak, Jean Banchet, Pean-Yves Piquet, Jacques Pic, John Coughlan, Enzo Dellea, Masakichi Ono, Mathis Berghe, Werner Vögeli, Freddy Girardet.

 

1989, a year for exceptions


In 1989, in the wake of the success encountered by the first edition, the Bocuse d'Or was once more staged as part of the Sirha. Several hundred chairs were set up in a separate area facing twelve white melamine kitchens. For the first time, a woman won the contest. Léa Linster, the candidate from Luxemburg, could have seemed out of place in this environment traditionally reserved to men. In addition, the young woman was wounded on the morning of the contest and could only see through one eye! However, her simple, straightforward style convinced the jury, and she achieved first place, in front of 23 other top chefs from all over the world. Second surprise of this event, William Wai, a discrete young chef defending the colours of Singapore, achieved third place. To date, he is the only Asian chef to have earned a place on the podium. Finally, for this second edition of the Bocuse d'Or, the gala dinner was absolutely enchanting. For the occasion of the French revolution bicentennial, the event was adorned in the blue, white and red colours of France.

 

1991, the Bocuse d'Or acquires a new dimension


With the victory of Michel Roth, chef at the Ritz, the Bocuse d'Or demonstrated, yet again, the excellence of chefs working in top hotel restaurants. The French chef, who benefited from the advice of the Ritz's chef Guy Legay, was able to prepare intensively for the contest. For six months, duck - official product for the Bocuse d'Or that year - was on the menu at the Ritz. Thus, the candidate was able to perfect his recipe under optimal conditions. 1991 also marked the beginning of sponsoring and coaching, not to mention the nearathletic training. "Artistic" dishes were introduced, such as jewel egg with truffles, one of the garnitures used by Michel Roth. The media made references to the Bocuse d'Or, comparing the event to a culinary Olympic Games. Another trend of the 1991 edition was the appearance of Nordic countries on the podium, with the Norwegian chef Lars Erik Underthun achieving second place and the candidate from The Netherlands Gert Jan Raven gaining third place. Finally, French celebrities also attended the event: Isabelle Giordano wrote up her column of "Bouillon de Culture" in the contest area, Philippe Risoli hosted the trials and Jacques Martin inaugurated the trade exhibition.

 

1993, rise of the Nordic countries


The Bocuse d'Or was awarded to Bent Stiansen, the first in a long list of Norwegian winners. His victory confirmed the excellence of northern European chefs. This came as a surprise, as the gastronomy tradition of these countries was not as reputed as that of France and Italy, for example. However, the candidates compensated with an intense training programme, surrounded by skilled and dynamic teams and with significant resources at their disposal. This was the case for the Danish candidate Jens Peter Kolbeck, who won the silver medal in 1993. As a result, he became a culinary reference in Denmark, and was even asked to cook for the Royal Family. He received the title of restaurateur in his country. In terms of organisation, following the example of car racing and tennis competitions, the Bocuse d'Or created an area dedicated to its sponsors. The VIP Area offered sponsors of different contests a warm and friendly quality public relations area in which to welcome their guests.

 

1995, a touch of poetry


When the trophy was handed over to Régis Marcon, the public discovered a chef possessing finesse and talent, and also the simple and authentic village of Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid in the Haute-Loire region, boasting 220 inhabitants, which can become cut off by snow. In the wake of his victory, the village discovered traffic congestion, Japanese enthusiasm for French cuisine and acquired a new dynamism thanks to the gourmet prowess of its chef. The family-owned Auberge acquired new fame, climbing in the rankings of gourmet guides. But Régis Marcon remains levelheaded, keen on mushrooms, and is committed to defending his region and the cause of hunger in the world. His veal Margaridou style is written down as a recipe full of history.

 

1997, year of the supporters


It was a Mexican candidate who first initiated the lively atmosphere that now prevails in the stands of the Bocuse d'Or. In 1997, he asked a typical Mexican band to play the mariachis, violins, and guitars to accompany his dishes. Although the fun idea did not earn the Mexican candidate a place on the podium, it did mark the introduction of noisy cheering to the stands that had remained, until then, respectfully silent. For the following editions foghorns, cowbells, cheering and chanting become the rule. Clubs of supporters travelling in charters and attracting promotion through the lively atmosphere were there to stay. The atmosphere became closer to that of a football match than of a traditional cuisine contest. 1997 was the year that the Swedish candidate Mathias Dahlgren won the Bocuse d'Or. Sweden was the first country to create its own Bocuse d'Or Academy, at the initiative of Sven Gunnar Svensson, with the objective of holding national selection events and accompanying candidates in preparing for the contest finals in Lyon.

 

1999, the Norwegian lesson


For the first time since the creation of the Bocuse d'Or - although France was participating in the event (in 1989, 1993 and 1997 France did not participate, as it had won the previous editions of the contest) - it was not a French chef who stood on the highest step of the podium in 1999. Terje Ness, a famous Norwegian chef, won the Bocuse d'Or with a superb show of creativity and technical skills, in front of Yannick Alleno who was disappointed but showed good sportsmanship ("I'm the first […] to achieve second place", he commented after the presentation of the prizes). The victory of the Norwegian chef boosted the contest by proving that France was not invincible. The excellence and reputation acquired by the French candidate, thanks to his second place, demonstrated the high quality of the candidates competing in the Bocuse d'Or. 1999 was also the year when a shower of golden glitter cascaded down onto the winner during the presentation of the award, introducing a touch of Hollywood.

 

2001, media boom


For the last edition to be held in the original area at the Sirha, the media coverage of the Bocuse d'Or was unbelievable. More than 800 journalists were present in front of the kitchens to write up on and report the victory of the French chef François Adamski. The fierce competition between France and Norway created an emulation drawing the candidates toward excellence.

 

2003, grandiose staging


With the inauguration of Hall 33, the Bocuse d'Or acquired a new contest area, larger, more beautiful and prestigious: the "Espace Alto" became the largest area in the world to be dedicated to cuisine contests. At the time, its arrangement was close to its current configuration, with kitchen cubicles opening onto the stands, red façades, and a near theatrical staging. The same year, the "compressed cutlery" trophy created by the famous artist César was abandoned, for a sculpture representing Paul Bocuse, created by Christine Delessert. A hymn by Serge Folie was also composed specially for the event. On the podium, only one point separated Charles Tjessem, the Norwegian winner, from the French candidate Franck Putelat. As for sporting events, the ranking of the Bocuse d'Or was merciless, elitist, and precise. The German candidate, Claus Weitbrecht, created the surprise: before the contest, he had only rehearsed his recipe twice, whereas some candidates practiced on a daily basis.

 

2005, Hollywood at the Sirha


For the first time, Watch Out technology was used to display the main events of the contest on a giant screen. The spectators could now not only watch the trials live, but also in detail, thanks to the screen featuring impressive dimensions: 24 metres long by four metres high. The Press Service corner was moved to enable journalists to have a better view over the contest area. Once again, France and Norway were on the podium, with only one point separating first and second place, out of a total of more than 500 points. In winning the Bocuse d'Or, Serge Vieira created an event that went beyond the prestigious Bocuse d'Or: indeed, assistant of Régis Marcon at the Auberge du Clos des Cîmes in Saint-Bonnet-le Froid, he was awarded the Bocuse d'Or trophy precisely ten years after his employer. For the first time in the history of the contest, two Bocuse d'Or winners worked together! The student had caught up with his master.

 

Selection events organised on a continental scale for the 2007 edition


20 years old, the age for stepping out into the world! In order to offer new countries an opportunity to compete in the Bocuse d'Or, the International Organising Committee has introduced a new method for selecting the countries applying for participation. By holding selection events on different continents, the International Organising Committee has broadened the scope of the competition, thus opening it up to a larger number of countries.

For the first time, a selection event organised on a continental scale offered twelve countries of Latin America an opportunity to reach the finals at Lyons. The Copa Azteca, that was held from 28th to 30th September 2005 at Mexico City, enabled Argentina, Brazil and Mexico to earn their places in the Bocuse d'Or. This new selection procedure will be extended to other continents for future editions of the competition.

 

2008, first Bocuse d'Or Europe


coming soon.

 

2008, first Bocuse d'Or Asia


coming soon.