These Norwegian Ingredients Will Determine Who Becomes Chef of the Year 2025
The candidates for Chef of the Year 2025 have to create dishes that showcase their identity and highlight this year's selected Norwegian ingredients. From Norwegian seafood and vegetables to lamb with a French twist, the competition is tougher than ever.
The Plate Challenge: Classics Meet New Norwegian Ingredients
Candidates are required to combine well-known classics such as fjord trout, blue mussels, brown crab, and shrimp with exciting newcomers like Yellowtail Kingfish from Fredrikstad, long stem cauliflower from Gilhus Farm, and yellow pearl tomatoes from Hanasand. These ingredients will be transformed into two dishes served simultaneously at different temperatures.
“In this challenge, candidates are free to construct any type of dish, whether a modern restaurant course or a classic competition dish, providing a golden opportunity to showcase their identity as chefs,” say Sven Erik Renaa and Filip A. Bendi, culinary leaders of the Bocuse Norway Academy.
The Platter Challenge: Norwegian Lamb with Norwegian and French Traditions as twist
The platter challenge offers less flexibility than the plate challenge. Top-quality Norwegian lamb must be combined with red pearl tomatoes, carrots, and authentic mountain butter. Candidates must demonstrate mastery by utilizing various cuts such as saddle, shoulder, shank, and kidneys, and present a garnish inspired by the classic French tart variant, pithivier, along with two self-chosen garnishes.
This challenge has more rules and clear presentation requirements. Candidates must combine larger cuts of ingredients on the platter while meeting a specific number of elements on the plate for the judges to taste.
“These parameters challenge the candidates' creativity and allow judges to clearly compare their professional choices and solutions,” continue culinary leaders Sven Erik Renaa and Filip A. Bendi of the Bocuse Norway Academy.
From Head to Tail – Ingredients from Sea and Land Under Time Pressure
Respect for ingredients has always been crucial in the culinary profession. Today, it's even more important concerning sustainability and responsible ingredient use. Judges will look for rational choices where ingredients with varying tenderness, flavor, and texture are optimally presented both individually and in combination.
President of the Bocuse Norway Academy, Ørjan Johannessen, praises Renaa and Bendi for developing a challenging task that can be completed in five and a half hours—provided the candidates have used their preparation time well.
“The mandatory ingredients must play the leading role in the dishes, and judges should easily recognize them. Candidates must build flavor layer by layer, make demanding decisions along the way, and engage in rigorous training in the final months. With four strong candidates, this will be both a marathon, a professional masterpiece, and pure culinary art. Candidates will need creativity, discipline, and endurance,” concludes Johannessen, himself the winner of Chef of the Year in 2013 and Bocuse d’Or in 2015.
The Road to Bocuse d’Or 2027 Goes Through Stavanger
The winner of Chef of the Year will become Norway's candidate in Bocuse d’Or 2027. The competition holds global prestige and is closely followed by international top chefs.
About Chef of the Year:
- Organized by the Norwegian Gastronomy Foundation on September 23, 2025, at Stavanger Concert Hall.
- Open to all Norwegian chefs with a professional certificate and restaurant affiliation.
- One of the world's toughest national qualifications for Bocuse d’Or.
- The winner represents Norway in Bocuse d’Or 2027.
- The event is open to the public.
