For the first time since 2013, a French chef took the top honor at a biennial food judging named for one of France’s greatest chefs, the late Paul Bocuse. The victory went to Davy Tissot, who is the chef and instructor at a restauarant operated by the Institut Paul Bocuse near Lyon.
The competition, running since 1987, has seen France win gold eight times, half of the first sixteen, with Scandinavians winning most of the other years, although an American won in 2017.
Before the finals, which are held during one of the top every-two-years hotel and restaurant exhibitions in Lyon, require chefs to participate first in one of sixty national competitions; the winners move on to four continent-wide regionals, and the four winners of those move on to Lyon, where they and their team have 5 hours and 35 minutes to prepare a meat dish and a fish dish for the panel.
The victory appears to be a big deal for France, with a flag-waving audience and Twitter remarks from both the Prime Minister and President Macron. Perhaps they’re hoping to be invited to dinner…
