Stavanger - a culinary stage
Trip Start
Jun 13, 2007
1
11
22
Trip End
Sep 23, 2007
Loading Map
Stavanger,
Norway
Monday, June 30, 2008
Never before has a Bocuse d'Or championship, founded by world-renown chef Paul Bocuse and regarded as the Formula 1 event for young chef talent, been taken outside the gastronomic centre of Lyon.
The Bocuse d'Or Europe follows the first Bocuse d'Or Asia held at this year's Gourmet World Shanghai in May, when Japan won with chef Yasuji Sasaki scoring the top prize.
Using locally produced Norwegian salmon and lamb, 20 chefs will be competing against each other this Tuesday and Wednesday. They come from Hungary, Croatia, Estonia, France, Malta, Russia, UK and Denmark, followed on July 2 by Norway, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Iceland, Czech Republic and Poland - some have never before participated at a Bocuse d'Or championship.
The best 12 countries will qualify for the world championship in Lyon on January 28 and 29, and compete against countries such as Australia.
Although Norway's culinary reputation may not be obvious, the Norwegian chefs have nevertheless been particularly successful at Bocuse d'Or in Lyon over the years, where they have showcased specialties such as Salmon, cod, Norwegian Red King Crab, herring and prawns, regarded as the finest in Europe.
The championships are part of a three-day culinary event, comprising a Food For the Future conference and Buffet food exhibition, which showcases the best in food Norway can offer.
Light moment...discussing Food for the Future
This is all an integral part of the town's cultural offering, alongside concerts, ballet, arts exhibitions, poetry and other events planned for the 12 months as Europe's cultural centre.For the Bocuse d'Or Europe event, the host country is putting its hopes in Geir Skeie, a 28-year old up and coming chef from a village by the old Viking sea lanes through the outer islands on the Norwegian west coast, south of Bergen, who has worked with great chefs in both Denmark and France, and is now co-owner and executive chef at Midtåsen Solvold restaurant in a converted old mansion outside Stavanger (see: http://www.solvold.no).
The organisers hope the event will put Norway on Europe's culinary map and promise Culinary Stavanger 08 will present "the new, innovative and special Norway".
"We may not be a great footballing nation, but in skiing and the culinary arts we are unbeatable," the promotional material boasts.
