USA wins Bocuse d'Or for the first time
Chef Mathew Peters from Per Se in New York is the first American to take the title, after the country reached second place in 2015.
Norway and chef William Davidsen were awarded the Silver Bocuse, while Iceland’s Viktor Andresson took Bronze ahead of 21 other countries in a competition lasting five hours and 35 minutes.
Peters impressed judges with his cooking of two set dishes, Bresse Chicken with Shellfish – which was the theme at the first Bocuse d’Or in 1987 – and a new ‘Vegetal’ plate cooked without meat or fish.
This year’s event marks 30 years since French chef Paul Bocuse first launched the competition. It is now presided over by his son Jerome.
Candidates are selected in 62 countries over 18 months before being whittled down to 24 finalists in a series of selection rounds.
Team UK was unable to compete in Lyon after chef Anthony Wright, a senior lecturer at University College Birmingham, failed to qualify in the European heats.
Chef Adam Bennett, who led the UK to fourth place in 2013, returned to the competition to cook at the Bocuse VIP restaurant this year. You can read BigHospitality's full interview with him here.
Other special prizes included:
Prize for the Best Commis: Benjamin Vakanas, France
Special Vegetal plate prize: France
Special Plate Prize: Hungary
Prize for the best Promotion Campaign: Australia
Prize for the best Poster : Hungary
