CMO Lali Papashvily: Bocuse d’Or Is So Much More than a Culinary Competition

Recognition of Georgian cuisine is becoming 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 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. Named for Chef Paul Bocuse, the event takes place over two days near the end of January, in Lyon, France, at the SIRHA International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade Exhibition, and is one of the world's most prestigious cooking competitions.

In 2019, Georgia officially became a part of the Bocuse d’Or family. Correspondingly, on November 2-3, Georgia hosted the national contest for the fi rst time. The large-scale national gastronomic competition was aimed at revealing the winners among eight teams, who then traveled to Estonia and participated in Bocuse d’Or Europe 2020. The winner of Bocuse d’Or Georgia 2019 was Erik Sarkisyan, an emerging chef who prepared a dish titled “Tenderloin of 3 Techniques and a Seasonal Garnish.” He received the highest rankings from a jury consisting of eight renowned chefs.

Following this, Sarkisyan competed in the European Continental Tournament in Tallinn in 2020, on behalf of Georgia. Chef Gabriel Tsiklauri came in second place at the Bocuse d’Or Georgia 2019 with his own exotic and exciting dish "Chalaghaji marmalade with banana and chestnut aromas." Chef Giorgi Arabuli received the third place in the competition with the dish "Chalaghagi with celery bulb puree."

Bocuse d’Or Georgia was organized by the HoReCa business development and consulting agency Gastronaut, while the project was presented by the Gastronomic Association of Georgia and supported by the Georgian Culinary Federation and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

Despite the fact that a competition of such level was held for the first time and was related to certain challenges, such as attracting sponsors and financing, thanks to the invaluable support of the partner organizations and dedicated work of the management team, the contest merited the highest assessments from field professionals, food enthusiasts and ordinary citizens alike. Georgia’s participation in the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition represents a unique opportunity for the country to introduce and promote itself, as well as its rich gastronomic culture.

It is also noteworthy that the team of Bocuse d'Or Georgia and all three winners of the national culinary contest 2019 have been actively involved in various charity initiatives to help those in need during the current economic crisis caused by the global pandemic. In particular, the team joined forces with the Shame Movement to support socially vulnerable families. As part of the initiative, chefs from Bocuse d'Or Georgia prepared boxes full of hot dishes for the beneficiaries of the Shame Movement, and delivered them to over 60 families. Such activities will continue in the future, and the Georgian team of Bocuse d'Or calls on other representatives of the gastronomic community to follow their example and support those in need.

Notably, Bocuse d'Or Georgia has a new president. Recently, renowned chef Misha Avsajanishvili won the Bocuse d'Or Georgia presidential election with a majority of votes. For two years, he will lead the cooking team of Bocuse d'Or Georgia and present Georgian gastronomy both locally and internationally. For the past two years, Chef Levan Kobiashvili was the President of Bocuse d'Or Georgia. During this period, under his leadership, the Georgian team participated in the semifinals of the Bocuse d'Or in Estonia and appropriately represented the country before foreign chefs.

GEORGIA TODAY spoke to Lali Papashvily, Gastronaut Co-founder/ Creative director and Bocuse d’Or Georgia Chief Marketing Executive, on these and other exciting details.

THE MOST RECENT AND IMPORTANT NOVELTY ABOUT THE TEAM IS THAT BOCUSE D'OR GEORGIA HAS A NEW PRESIDENT. TELL US MORE.

Levan Kobiashvili, renowned chef and professional, was the fi rst president of Bocuse d’Or Georgia. He is our friend and partner and one of the most distinguished Georgian chefs. The co-founder and one of the creators of the idea of Gastronaut and the Gastronomic Association of Georgia is Levan Kokiashvili. He is the initiator of holding such a contest in Georgia.

Since Levan Kobiashvili is our friend and partner, he knew many things and supported the idea of holding a contest like Bocuse d’Or in Georgia. When asked if there were enough resources for it in the country, Levan Kokiashvili’s argument was that the contest has been held in Russia for several years, and when preparing dishes, during the presentation, the participants always added elements of Georgian cuisine to their dishes, such as plum sauce Tkemali or the Georgian-Abkhazian hot, spicy dip Ajika, claiming that they belong to their cuisine. It was a stressful moment for Levan, as he always protects the Georgian gastronomic traditions. Exactly this was the main goal of establishing the Bocuse d’Or contest in the country, to preserve the local culinary traditions and introduce and promote them worldwide. Bocuse d’Or represents a way to achieve this goal. It is not only a culinary contest, but a large-scale communication platform. It carries much deeper meaning than just a competition, and is quite important not only for the chefs involved, but for the country’s gastronomy in general. We are very thankful for the important work implemented by Levan. Now, our team is very hopeful about the newly elected President Misha Avsajanishvili, an influencer in his field in Georgia, who will lead the team for the next two years. We expect him to be an inspiration for young chefs to participate in the contest, to present and develop their skills, and to contribute to the development of the field in general.

THE FIRST NATIONAL CONTEST OF BOCUSE D’OR WAS FOLLOWED BY THE CONTINENTAL COMPETITION IN ESTONIA. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS FOR THE BOCUSE D’OR GEORGIA TEAM?

First, it was an invaluable experience for the team in general. This year was quite difficult for the hospitality industry in Georgia due to the global pandemic. Accordingly, the preparation process for the continental contest, which needs to be quite intense, became even more complicated. Even the issue of participation in it was under a question mark.

Again, Levan Kokiashvili did a great job mobilizing the necessary resources and get us there. Our main goal was to feel the spirit of the event and gain some experience. One of the main ideas of Bocuse d’Or is to share this experience with future generations, which was also achieved. The winner of our first national contest, Erik Sarkisyan, participated in Tallinn, presenting Georgia’s gastronomic traditions in a modernized way, which is very important and we are really proud of it. Each dish and its elements has a special meaning at this contest, and we managed to express what we wanted to show and say. Many thanks to Erik, as he was the first participant of this continental contest from Georgia, and his contribution is invaluable. Now, Erik will share this great experience with young chefs and future participants. Accordingly, the country’s gastronomy in general will also move forward, reaching new heights.

THE WORLD FINAL OF THE CONTEST TRADITIONALLY TAKES PLACE OVER TWO DAYS NEAR THE END OF JANUARY IN LYON. WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS THIS YEAR DUE TO THE PANDEMIC?

This year, the final competition will not be held in January. The event has been postponed until May or June, most likely. The preparation process is already ongoing. In Georgia, we don’t yet know how things will develop. Last year, we conducted the national competition in November; however, now we can’t say the exact time we’ll hold it due to the current epidemiological situation and restrictions.

WHAT ACTIVITIES IS BOCUSE D’OR GEORGIA CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON AND HOW HAVE YOU BEEN HANDLING THE DIFFICULTIES CAUSED BY THE PANDEMIC?

We have a great resource of contacts. Bocuse d’Or is a community of not only young, but highly experienced professional chefs. Bocuse d’Or brings together and unites the so-called “competitors” and rivals with distinguished professionals. It’s a networking platform and a place for sharing each other’s experience. Since we have this community and those contacts, during the difficult conditions caused by the pandemic, we’ve been trying our best to support those in need.

Most recently, the important move in this direction from our side was collaboration with the Shame Movement, within the frames of which our chefs prepared dishes for socially vulnerable families.

Our product suppliers were Agro Hub, Coca Cola, and David Gorgoshidze’s Marron Pastry, while restaurant ‘Black Lion’ lent us their kitchen to prepare dishes in, for which we’re very thankful. All three winning chefs of the Bocuse d’Or national contest 2019 joined the initiative, preparing and delivering dishes to those in need, for free. Such charitable activities will continue in the future.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE PLANS?

Despite the current challenges, our team remains optimistic and motivated, and has exciting future plans. We received a letter from the Bocuse d’Or French office, in which the head office of Bocuse d’Or thanked us and expressed their satisfaction at our participation in the continental contest and presentation of dishes, which makes us very proud.

We signed and confirmed the continuation of the contract, based on which we will again hold and organize the national contest in Georgia. We already started planning, and the team has been mobilized. The main issue is that the epidemiological situation be suitable for holding the contest. Otherwise, the team is fully responsible and ready to organize the event at the highest level, just like the previous year, or in an even more improved way.