Another of S.Pellegrino best events has officially found its winner! There were scenes of celebration in Budapest as home country Hungary was named the winner of the Bocuse d'Or Europe. The Gold medal winner is chef Tamas Szell, that impressed the jury with his meat dish of leg of young deer grilled on charcoal with Hungarian spices, mushrooms and smoked mangalicza pork fat. His fish dish was lightly salted sterlet and langoustine glazed with pickled ramson seeds and brown butter, alongside crispy scallop with chervil and Hungarian smoked pork fat.
He shared the podium with Norway, who were awarded the silver medal, and Sweden who took bronze. They will be joined by chefs from the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Estonia at the Bocuse d'Or final in Lyon next year.
Tamas Szell was extremely delighted by his team's success: "I don't believe what's happened. I'm happy, of course, but I will prepare for next year now."
Bocuse d'Or Europe President of Honour Rasmus Koefed, of three-Michelin star restaurant Geranium in Copenhagen, was delighted by the high standard of this year's contest: "I have been tasting yesterday, and the atmosphere was really special. Today is even more crazy because you have all the Hungarians and all the other countries supporting. And the food is really good, especially the fish dishes from the Scandinavian countries. They were really impressive."
Preparations are already on for the main Bocuse d'Or event in Lyon in January 2017, where teams from Latin and North America and Asia will join the successful European teams.