On 27 and 28 January 2009 the SIRHA gastronomic trade fair will be held in Lyon, France. Estonian food will be promoted at the event with chocolate truffles, liqueur and cheese, while an international contest for chefs will see the country represented by Egoist’s head chef Vladislav Djatšuk.
“Paul Bocuse is a culinary legend, and his friends and people championing his ideas all over the world select the best of the best to send to Lyon to showcase their skills and the flavours of their countries,” explained Dmitri Demjanov, president of Bocuse d’Or Estonia. “Being represented in the competition is a great honour for Estonian cuisine, and will do a lot to promote it, but it is a great challenge too.”
During the five-and-a-half hour final the chefs will have to prepare two dishes using specific ingredients, for example different cuts of beef and Norwegian seafood.
Taking place every two years, the final of Bocuse d’Or in Lyon is preceded by regional qualification in the Bocuse d’Or Europe. Held in Stavanger in Norway in July 2008, this round saw Djatšuk finish 7th and thus reach the final.
24 countries will compete in the final; those from Europe are Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and Estonia – the latter two of which are the first of the new EU member states to reach the final.
The history of the Bocuse d’Or dates back to 1983, when the Salon Métiers de Bouche competition was held as part of the SIRHA international food fair in Lyon. The first official Bocuse d’Or was held in 1987, bringing together the brightest young stars of the culinary world to be judged by leading gastronomists.
The fair is financed through the EU’s Structural Funds.
For further information see:
www.bocusedor.ee
www.sirha.com
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