Japan Won Bocuse D'or Asia-Pacific 2018

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