Bocuse d'Or 2014 - chef profiles (part two)
By James Euinton
Following on from part one, here are the remaining profiles for the chefs who will be competing in the European Bocuse d'Or Semi Finals in Stockholm between the 7th and 8th of May.
Adam Bennet (UK)
Adam currently works as the head chef of The Cross pub in Kneliworth, which holds a Michelin star, and is no stranger to success. Adam Won the title of Midlands Chef of the Year in 2005 and became a finalist in “National Chef of the year UK”. Adam also competed in last year’s Bocuse d’Or, achieving the best result ever obtained for a UK team. He is the former head chef of prestigious Birmingham restaurant Simpsons, which also holds a Michelin star, and has also worked in The Dorchester, London and Guy Lassausaie, Lyon.
Adam is due to compete In Stockholm on the 8th of May, and will be cooking in box 2. Cooking alongside Adam will be his trusted commis chef from the Cross Josh Allen.
Nicolas Davouze (France)
Nicolas is the head chef at Château Saint-Martin & Spa. He has a lot to live up to in this year’s competition, after French chef Thibaut Ruggeri won last year’s competition in Lyon. France have placed a total of ten times in the history of the competitions finals, and won seven time. Nicholas will be competing on May 7th in box four.
Gabor Molnar (Hungary)
Gabor is a chef at the Geisel Privathotel group’s Hotel Excelsior in Munich, Germany, one of the most luxurious hotels in the country. Hungary have never managed to secure a winning or runner up place at the competitions finals. Gabor will compete on the 8th of May in box four.
Diego Rigotti (Italy)
Diego works at Maso Franch Gourmet & Relais in northern Italy. Diego’s claim to fame is being the youngest Michelin-starred chef in Italy. He was also formerly the the executive chef of the five star Golden Palace in Turin. Diego will be competing in box 5fiveon the 7th of May.
Sigurdur Helgason (Iceland)
Sigurdur is currently the head chef at the Grillid restaurant at the Radissonblu Hotel in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. He graduated with highest honours from Hotel and Veitingaskoli in 2001, and after his education he went to work as a chef in the president of Iceland’s office.
Sigurdur has since traveled the world working as a private chef in England, New York and Ireland, before settling into his current head chef position in 2011. Sigurdur is to compete on the 8th of May in box six.
Damien Klein (Luxembourg)
Damien from Restaurant Montclair / Hotel Saarpark
is described by Michelin as a “young prodigy”. Damien is known for his quirky style and creative approach to cooking. Damien began cooking full meals for his family aged eight, and published his first cookery book age 20.
Taking a slightly more unconventional approach to cooking in comparison with the other competitors, Damien is a keen showman, and his unique approach to cooking has landed him several TV roles and he earned him the title of “The Kitchen Rocker” by the German media. Damien will be competing on the 8th of May in box eight.
Ørjan Johannessen (Norway)
Ørjanworks at Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri and already has plenty of experience at the Bocuse d’Or competition under his belt. His first experience of the competition was working as a Commis under Geir Skeie in the 2008 Bocuse d’Or competition.
He later went on to win the 2012 competition, and was also crowned Norwegian 'Chef of the Year' back in 2011, making him a well-seasoned competitive chef. Ørjan is due to compete on the 7th of May in box seven.
Jan Smink (Netherlands)
Jan is the current head chef at Kwartier Noord, a restaurant and cooking workshop near Heerenveen, in the northern Netherlands. His previous experience includes stints at many prestigious Dutch restaurants, including Hotel Landgoed Lauswolt, restaurant de Heeren van Harinxma, Landgoed Lauswolt Restuarant de Heeren van Harinxma and Le Soleil. Jan will be competing on the 7th of May in box nine.
Igor Sus (Russia)
Igor Is the head chef of Restaurant Rafinad in Moscow, he has said that his dream for the restaurant is to give the Moscow people a chance to become familiar with global culinary trends at reasonable prices. Igor will compete on the 8th of May in box ten.
Tommy Myllymaki (Sweden)
Tommy opened Sjon in the Swedish town of Jönköping back in December 2012, which he says provides “simple cuisine within everyone’s scope”. After being selected to compete in the Bocuse d’Or, Tommy embraced the media coverage that he was suddenly faced with, appearing on several television shows in the country and praised for his aim to make cooking more accessible to everyone. He is to compete on the 8th of May in box seven.
Christoph Hunziker (Switzerland)
Christoph is the head chef of the Schämerhof restaurant, which located in Thun, a small town hidden away near the Swiss mountains in the center of the country. Christoph will be competing on the 8th of May in box three.
Gurcan Gulmez (Turkey)
Gurcan currently works as a sous chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sultanahmet, a coastal town in north-western Turkey. After completing his Military service in 2002, Gurcan started his professional career as a chef working in many different restaurants across the country.
Since then he has gone on to represent Turkey in the International Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition in 2006, and he also won the Ottoman Food Competition in 2008. Gurcan will be competing on the 7th of May in box three.
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