Piedmont leads Team Italia to the world finals of the Bocuse d’Or

Piedmont will be the driving force behind the Italian team, led by Martino Ruggieri, at the world finals of the Bocuse d’Or.

The region dominates Lonely Planet’s ranking of “Best in Travel” 2019 and is an increasingly recognised international tourist destination with a strong vocation for excellence in food and wine and a whole variety of other expressions Made in Italy. A rich heritage with contaminations between the cultural and culinary worlds.

The link created between Piedmont and the Bocuse d’Or – the most important international cooking competition – emphasises the region’s desire to be acknowledged as the Italian Capital of haute cuisine. Turin was selected as host city for the European heat of the competition which took place there in June 2018 as one of the preliminaries for the world finals. This important event gave the region the opportunity to showcase its excellence before an international audience, with the finest emerging European chefs using typical Piedmontese products, thanks to the partnership with the Regional Council for Agriculture: from Castelmagno DOP cheese to Piedmontese beef fillet, from Sant’Andrea DOP rice from the Baraggia Biellese and Vercellese districts to the 14 DOCG wines selected among the most representative at regional level by the Piemonte Land of Perfection Consortium, including our Alta Langa Docg. The journey continues in Lyon, where Piedmont will be present at the competition with a stand, offering tastings of some of its regional food and wine products.

Confirming the strong link with Piedmont, the town of Alba has been home to the Bocuse d’Or Academy, the Italian headquarters of the prestigious award, since 2017.

After training the finalist chef and his team for the European selections, the Academy is now getting ready for the final phase of the world competition, which will be held on 29 and 30 January 2019 in Lyon.

Team Italia is making its preparations with the help of its president Enrico Crippa – three Michelin star chef – and director Luciano Tona, along with a committee of 30 chefs from all over Italy and a group that is taking care, not only of the recipes that Martino Ruggieri and his team will be taking to the world final, but also of the design of the tray, focusing on contemporary Italian style, created by Luisa Bocchietto, President of the World Design Organization.

A composite team, made up of professionalism, experience, traditions and knowledge in sectors ranging from food and wine to design and fine craftsmanship, finding their fullest and most complete expression in Piedmont.

A long-term and significant project to promote food and the territory which, in addition to the Bocuse d’Or Italia Academy, is resulting in the choice by an increasing number of excellent chefs of Piedmont as their base.
The exploit is certified by the Michelin Guide 2019, which has awarded the highest number of new stars in this region: five, bringing the regional total to forty-five, with seven Michelin-starred restaurants in Turin alone. This confirms the fact that Piedmont has become a reference point for the agri-food sector.

«The Bocuse d’Or experience has been an incredible adventure”. – says Enrico Crippa, President of the Bocuse d’Or Italia Academy. “The team has become a group of friends. The empathy among the team members has favoured an important project with a very strong expression and structural value. I am satisfied with the work done so far and believe that the Academy has a future which will allow the promotion of Italian haute cuisine in the world».

«We are taking our idea of Italian cuisine, with all its creativity and tangibility, to Lyon – explains chef Martino Ruggieri. – We have reached this final thanks to many hours of hard work. In France and Northern Europe, the Bocuse d’Or is considered the competition par excellence. Italy has only recently begun to appreciate the Bocuse d’Or, but I think that the movement that has grown up around this final is an interesting sign. We are a creative nation; this competition requires us to pool our natural talent with a good dose of executive skill. The team is tight-knit and focused and we have reached the finals with a good level of energy and strong concentration».