bocuse dor

Danish Chef Nabs Bocuse d'Or Trophy

Filed under: Dining

It's not the easiest name in the world to remember but globetrotting foodies might want to acquaint themselves with Rasmus Kofoed of Denmark. The chef was victorious in the Bocuse d'Or, the biannual cooking contest that draws the elite of the culinary world to the French city of Lyon. He had won the European Bocuse d'Or Championship in Geneva last June and had won the bronze medal at the Bocuse d'Or 2005 and the silver medal at the Bocuse d'Or 2007 and was the favorite going into this year's event.

The event is sponsored by several luxury brands including Hublot and Perrier. Chefs representing countries around the world compete in a live competition packed with spectators. Chef Thomas Keller is president of the Bocuse d'Or USA foundation and Daniel Boulud is chairman. Bloomberg News reports that they were Lyon to support the U.S. competitor James Kent, sous chef at Eleven Madison Park.Denmark's victory was part of a Nordic sweep, the runner-up was Tommy Myllymaki of Sweden and the third place went to Gunnar Hvarnes of Norway.

Rasmus Kofoed has his own restaurant, Geranium, in Copenhagen. Menu items include lightly smoked potatoes with dried peas and lovage; freerange pork with raw, crunchy and soft Jerusalem artichokes; and sheep's milk yogurt with scent of pine needles. Copenhagen is becoming a global culinary hot spot, it is also home to Noma, a restaurant chosen as the world's best in the San Pellegrino awards last spring.

Tags: bocuse dor, copenhagen, denmark, rasmus kofoed

Blancpain's Big Watch, Sponsors 2009 Bocuse d'Or Cooking Competition

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Events

Is Blancpain going overboard with the big watch craze? This image points to yes, but this is actually part of a trophy that Blancpain gave out. If you aren't a serious foodie you might have never heard of the Bocuse d'Or, one of the world's most coveted cooking competitions and awards. The 2009 winner was Geir Skeie, a chef at the restaurant Mathuset Solvold, in Sandefjord, Norway. I can't pronounce the chef's name, the name of the restaurant, or even the city in Norway, but what I do know is that I covet the watch part of the award.

Swiss watch maker Blancpain co-sponsored the event and awarded a Blancpain Flyback Chronograph Grande Date watch to the winner of Bocuse d"Or this year. With incentives like that I might join the competition myself next year! This year's Bocuse d'Or was the 21st occurrence of the event, and unsurprisingly, was held in Lyon, France.

Watch makers and chefs have had a long positive history. Not only does cooking require careful and often overlapping timing, but chefs, like watch makers, are detail oriented and focused on perfection. Blancpain chose wisely in participating with the Bocuse d'Or, and I have to admit the styling of the Blancpain Flyback Chronograph watch fits well with the culinary theme.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: blancpain, bocuse dor, BocuseDor, chef, chronograph, flyback, grande date, GrandeDate, timepiece, watch