Denmark has won the 2023 Bocuse d’Or with Norway and Hungary coming second and third place respectively in the world’s most high-profile cooking competition, Bocuse d’Or, better known as the “Gastronomy equivalent of the Olympic games”.
More than just a one-off event in Lyon, the Bocuse d’Or involves 70 national and four continental events over a two-year period, culminating in a final showdown in France’s food capital.
Danish supporters were by far the loudest supporters in the competition’s great hall within Sirha, the world catering trade fair meeting at Lyon Eurexpo.
Brian Mark Hansen, a 41-year-old chef who officiated in a Michelin-starred restaurant north of Copenhagen, led the Nordic team to its third victory after the 2019 and 2011 editions. Hansen thanked his entire team and said he had dreamt of this moment for 20 years. “We give our best when there is a lot of noise around”, he said, adding he trained while playing the soundtrack of previous editions. Denmark won the jury’s votes in both categories: a “children’s menu” concocted around the squash and a main dish made from monkfish tail, the most impressive piece of the competition.
Defending its title, France was represented by 25-year-old Naïs Pirollet, the only female chef candidate. She finished fifth. “There is no sadness, it is a victory to have come this far,” she said. “For young people, my participation had an impact, I hope it sends the message that you have to dare and that when you dare you move forward anyway.”
Angela Frigo, FEBA Secretary General, was a member of the jury that awarded the Social Commitment Award, an award given to a Bocuse d’Or team for its societal involvement in food-related areas, awarded by a jury made up of international personalities recognised for their commitment and expertise on these subjects. The price went to the Mexican chef Marcelo Hisaki and his team this year.
