Takayama
beat 10 other competing chefs to the top spot, with Thailand’s Natcha Saengow
and South Korea’s Seon Yeong Gu taking second and third place respectively. The
three chefs along with those representing Australia, Singapore and China will
head to the final of what is widely considered to be the Olympics of gastronomy
in January.
The
young Japanese chef’s dishes of Australian Veal tenderloin with Morels, white
asparagus and Vegetables mille-feuille and Salmon with verbena sauce, green
asparagus, shiitake, Yuzu and Sancho, Royale with dashi impressed the judging
panel consisting of Jérôme Bocuse (President of Bocuse d’Or), Alvin Leung
(President of Honour), Kotaro Hasegawa (President of the Jury), and the team
presidents. Bocuse, son of the late legendary chef Paul Bocuse who started the
competition 31 years ago, presented Takayama with his trophy, a prize he also
lifted back in 2014.
The winning dishes.
The
final of the Bocuse d’Or, which takes place in Lyon every two years as part of
the Sirha trade show, sees teams from 24 countries compete for gold in front of
a packed hall of patriotic cooking fans. In 2017, the USA took home the coveted
prize for the first time prompting jubilant scenes.
By FDL