Bocuse d’Or: First National Contest

Recognition of Georgian cuisine is getting more global by the day, as is appreciation for its exquisite taste and preparation techniques. Yet Georgian gastronomy still has a way to go to reach world standards, and contests like the Bocuse d’Or National Competition, which took place this past weekend, are big steps toward Georgia marking its place on the world gastronomy map.

Often called the ‘Olympics of Gastronomy’, Bocuse d’Or is the world’s most prestigious gastronomic championship with a 30-year history of bringing together talented and prominent chefs from the four continents.

In 2019, Georgia officially became a part of the Bocuse d’Or family. That means that for the first time, Georgia will compete at the Continental Competition of Bocuse d’Or in 2020. Correspondingly, Georgia hosted the national contest for the first time, the main goal being to reveal the winner from eight teams who will best represent the country at the Bocuse d’Or Continental in Tallinn next year.

ExpoGeorgia hosted the first-ever National Competition of Bocuse d’Or on November 2-3. There, world-renowned Georgian, Belgian and Estonian chefs chose one out of eight contestants to represent Georgia at the Bocuse d’Or European Contest 2020 that will happen in Tallinn on May 28-29. The jury consisted of Giorgi Iosava, Manuel Fundes Baranda, Guram Baghdoshvili, Levan Kobiashvili, Giorgi Sarajishvili, Meriko Gubeladze, Misha Avsajanishvili, Vladislav Jatsuki, Roland Debuyst, and Tekuna Gachechiladze. The Technical Jury, which judged the preparation process of the contestants, included Vakhtang Devdariani, Goga Maisuradze, Avtandil Tsetskhladze, Davidnar Narimanishvili, Luka Nachkebia, and Tamta Kikaleishvili. The National contest was open to the public; the fans, family members and friends of the contestants and anyone interested in cuisine or merely wanting to see how a variation of the popular cooking shows would be brought live, could attend.

On the first day of the contest, four teams, comprising a chef, chef’s assistant and their mentor, prepared meals for the jury to taste and the attendees to see. The chefs of the first four contestants were Gabriel Tsiklauri, Giorgi Kankava, Temo Kardenakhishvili, and Soso Jabanashvili. When ready, the meals were presented on the press table. While the photographers and the TV operators captured them, the dishes were showcased on the big screens for the guests of the contest to see. Each gastronomy masterpiece took over five hours to prepare and consisted of differently cooked pork, three garnishes and two sauces. The jury evaluated the dishes in total silence, marking their points and comments on special papers, not even revealing to each other their personal favorites.

The excited public was the witness of many wonderful things at the first National Contest of Bocuse d’Or Georgia. The organizational skills of Gastronaut enabled the guests to really feel like they were a part of each step of the contest – the chefs cooked in front of them, and the jury, technical or otherwise, evaluated the works of the teams before their eyes. During the breaks, the attendees could visit a second space for coffee, a bite to eat and the chance to buy AgroHub products. There, the guests could also interact with the famous members of the jury – this, above all, made the first National Contest of Bocuse d’Or a true celebration of gastronomy.

Levan Kobiashvili, renowned Georgian chef and the President of Bocuse d’Or Georgia, evaluated the first day of the contest as a success while talking with GEORGIA TODAY. “I want to thank the organizational team for their wonderful work and the public who came today to support this tremendous step forward for Georgian gastronomy. My expectations for the event were exceeded and I’d say I’m pretty satisfied with the work of contestants so far.”

Vladislav Jatsuki, a respected Estonian chef, the winner of the 2008 Bocuse d’Or championship and the holder of 7th place in the European semi-finals, congratulated Georgia for the country’s success. “You’ve made the first wonderful steps. Judging the contestants here today, I feel exactly like I felt when I judged at Bocuse d’Or Europe in Turin in 2018.” His evaluation sums up perfectly the quality of the work performed by the contestants and the organizers of the National Contest of Bocuse d’Or.

By Nini Dakhundaridze