The Hungarian team also brought the home fans, who were almost completely absent on the previous day, to the stands. However, the Finns and Swedes also made a significant contribution to the atmosphere, with trumpets, fiddlers, singing and chanting.
Teams from Poland, Estonia, Denmark, France, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Iceland and Belgium competed on the first day of the European Bocuse d'Or finals, which took place in the framework of the Sirha Budapest international catering and gastronomy exhibition.
On Thursday, contestants from Finland, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands, the UK, Latvia, Norway, Turkey and Sweden will try to wow the judges.
Bence Dalnoki, chef of the Hungarian team we present it in pictures, because who wouldn't know it in this country!
The chef of the Spanish team, Rubén Amro in his hometown of Madrid, he studied at the prestigious IES Hotel Escuela with renowned chefs. He is currently Executive Chef at the Box Art Hotel. He has won several Spanish competitions in recent years. He wants his food to reflect the diversity that is present in his life, thanks to his Palestinian father and his Thai wife.
A Finnish Johan Kurkela is a regular at cooking competitions. Although he is only 25 years old, he has worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants in Helsinki. His dream is to make Finnish gastronomy popular and sought-after around the world.
British chef Ian Musgrave has been chef de cuisine at the Ritz London since 2011 and has been instrumental in helping the restaurant achieve a Michelin star. He is a recognised expert in his home country and was named Chef of the Year by the British Culinary Federation in 2018.
The Dutchman Kees Visser chef became passionate about the Bocuse d'Or, winning the Dutch competition on his fifth attempt and getting the chance to compete in Europe. He is also an entrepreneurial spirit, having not only worked in several renowned restaurants, but also opened his own restaurant, Bij Kees. Today he is the executive chef at the Mondragon Hotel Cristo in Zierikee.
The Swedish Jimmi Eriksson is a fan of what's new. His career started while still in school, in Stockholm, at the renowned Fresgatan 12 restaurant. He later moved to Pontus Matsalen restaurant. In 1916, he was named Sweden's Chef of the Year and in 2018, his team won the World Gastronomy Championship. Today he is the creative and gastronomic manager of Stadshurestauranger in Stockholm.
The Turkish Emre Inanir Born in Istanbul, he started his career there in 2000. He has worked with renowned chefs in five-star restaurants. He spent some time in South Africa, where he worked in Michelin-starred restaurants. Now, as chef at the Cirigan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul, he is working hard to raise the profile of Turkish cuisine internationally.
A Filip August Bendi from Norway from a family with a long history of hospitality. In 2011 he won the Bocuse de Boronze. He then worked in New York with Daniel Boulud before returning to his home country to become the gastronomic creations manager at the Thon Hotel chain in Oslo.
Latvian Dinars Zvidrins started his career as a basketball player. He has been competing in cooking competitions since 2012. In 2020, he made history in his country by becoming the first Latvian to qualify for the European Bocuse d'or final.
We will publish the entries of the other teams soon! #
