EUROPEAN ORGANISATION COMMITTEE

Eyvind Hellstrøm President of the Organising Committee

Eyvind Hellstrøm is an important personality of Norwegian gastronomy. "Bagatelle" - the restaurant he owns in Oslo - is the reference establishment in Norway. Member of Relais & Châteaux, it is the first and only "Relais gourmand" in Norway, and Eyvind Hellstrøm is the first Chef to have received the prestigious "Artist of the year" award as presented by the city of Oslo.

Faithful to the Bocuse d’Or, Eyvind Hellstrøm was himself candidate to the Bocuse d’Or in 1989 and has officiated many times since 1993 as President of the Norwegian teams preparing the selection events and judging the world cuisine contest. Every two years he sits on the jury, tasting and marking the candidates' gourmet dishes.

On 10th October of this year, Eyvind Hellstrøm received the French Legion of Honour at the French embassy in Oslo. It was, Paul Bocuse who presented him with the distinction.

Régis Marcon, chef and owner of the Auberge du Clos des Cîmes (3 stars) at Saint-Bonnet-le-froid and also of the new gourmet restaurant Chez Régis et Jacques Marcon. Keen on nature and respectful of the products he uses, he is known for his authenticity. Winner of the Bocuse d’Or in 1995, he is the current president of the Bocuse d’Or Winners Academy. This enables him to maintain close relations with Norwegian chefs. Several of Norway's Bocuse d’Or candidates have come to visit him as part of their preparation sessions. In addition to cuisine he has another point in common with Norwegian chefs, he is a great ski fan.

Jean Fleury, Best Tradesman of France, has been a close collaborator of Paul Bocuse for over 20 years. Today he successfully manages the Bocuse Brasseries established in Lyons. Born in the Bresse region of France Jean appreciates "beautiful products and work well done". He acquired an interest in cooking through his grand-mother Louise. In 2005, he wrote the book "Brasseries Bocuse: 80 recettes" a book on the extraordinary adventure of Paul Bocuse's five Brasserie restaurants, for which the objective is to make gourmet cuisine available to all. His latest project is "Ouest Express", a Bocuse-style Fast Food opened in 2008

Sven-Erik Renaa was Norway's Bocuse d’Or candidate in 2007 where he won the award for the "Best Fish Dish". He lives and practices his art in Stavanger. As far back as he can remember, Sven Erik Renaa has always had an interest in cooking. "As a child, I would spend hours in my grandmother's kitchen. On her farm the meals were prepared with fresh and original ingredients" he explains. At the table, recipes were a favourite conversational subject. "When my father wasn't commenting on the meal, he would talk about the next one!" assures the Norwegian candidate. Sven undertook his apprenticeship training at Trondheim before travelling to New York where he discovered unique methods and techniques. Later he returned to Norway in order to become Chef at the "Braseriet Hansken" and "Oro bar and restaurant" in Oslo. Today he works for the Gastronomy Institute.

In addition you will find Yves Hunckler, Florent Suplisson, Leni Stålvik and Eidis W. Biehler in the organisating committee.