Will win gold with potatoes and deer on the menu
In October 2021, Filip August Bendi from Sandnes was able to step up to the top of the podium in Chef of the Year and call himself Norway’s candidate in the European Championship in Bocuse d’Or which started in Budapest on Wednesday.
Now there are several months of intense and hard training finally over.
– I have been in the beginning for a whole year and it has been many thousands of hours in the kitchen, says Filip August Bendi on the phone from Budapest.
– The whole last year has agreed to think about this, he says.
Filip August Bendi has worked as an international chef at several restaurants and eateries in the world. Among other things, at the famous restaurant Noma in Copenhagen.
He has been in Stockholm for three years and Mathias Dahlgren’s Matsalen. Then the trip went to restaurant Daniel in New York.
A childhood dream
In Norway, he has worked as head chef at NB Sørensen Annen Etage in Stavanger and has become a creative developer at Thon Hotel Bristol and Thon Hotels in Oslo.
He has participated in Chef of the Year in both 2017, 2019. In 2021 he won.
Bendi knows what he’s up to, because he was assistant (commis) for Gunnar Hvarnes when he took silver in the Bocuse d’Or Europe in 2010 and bronze in the world final in Lyon in 2011.
The dream has always been to win the world final of the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon on its own.
– In Norway, it is a completely sick level to win Chef of the Year, and I have tried several times. Well when we are actually here it is completely surreal and amazing, says Bendi.
– Have there been any challenges now that you have arrived in Budapest?
– There have been some changes in the kitchen layout, but we have control over that now, he says.
Favorites
It is a professional strength team that Norway has sent to Bocuse d`Or in Budapest this year.
Coach is Christopher W. Davidsen who took silver in Bocuse d’Or Europe in 2016 and Bocuse d’Or in Lyon in 2017. Davidsen is the general manager of the restaurant Speilsalen at Britannia Hotel in Trondheim, and less than a year after the opening, the restaurant received its first Michelin star.
Leon Haarberg Nilsen (20) is also on the team. He is a young assistant (commis) during the competition itself.
The 19 candidates and the nations have been given the task of thinking tradition and innovation. They must make their own mark on traditional Hungarian ingredients.
In recent years, Bocuse d’Or has focused more on vegetarian food, and this time again.
The dish should be inspired by spring and consist of potatoes from Hungary.
The potatoes must both look and taste like potatoes, and can be served with sauce or broth. Candidates can also use chicken eggs or dairy products in court.
Going for seagull
The dish itself must consist of saddle and thighs of deer, duck liver, sour cream and cottage cheese. The deer must be served with three garnishes, one of which is optional and one of them must consist of sour cream and cottage cheese and be served next to the dish.
– What do you think about this challenge?
– This is an exciting task which gives us many opportunities. The potato is a versatile ingredient and definitely one of my favorites. Deer is a lean and delicate venison, with many fine qualities. I am very happy with the task, says Filip August Bendi.
Both the plate dish and the dish will be served hot to the competition’s 14 taste judges.
Team Norway will be in the fire on day to and in kitchen number seven.
– I like to think that our chances are reasonably good. We have trained a lot and are prepared. The big goal is to win the world final in Lyon in January 2023. We go for gold, said Aleksander Løkkeberg Vartdal, team leader for Team Norway to TV 2 during the dress rehearsal in early March.
Norway is a cooking nation with good chefs. This year, too, one must live with the favorite stamp.
– Norway are always favorites and the atmosphere is good. They managed to find the dishes they want to present, so the last few days have agreed to practice the routines. There is a strong focus on the task that each individual has and must perform, says Arne Søvig, general manager of the Norwegian Gastronomy Foundation.
He is also in place in Budapest. The most important thing is that the raw material is of excellent quality.
Most winning nation
– We have not had any negative experiences when it comes to raw materials and that is good. The pressure is, as usual, great, says Søvig.
Norway is the most winning nation in the world, when it comes to participation in the world final in Lyon, with five gold, three silver and four bronze in Lyon. This is a medal in France.
In the European final, Norway has participated seven times and every single time they have stood on the podium.
So far, there have been four gold, two silver and one bronze in the European Championships. Chef Christian Andre Pettersen from Bodø has two golds and makes Norway the defending champion.
The most important thing is to get among the top ten nations so that you will be directly qualified for the world final in Lyon in 2023.
– Will you be disappointed if Norway does not get on the podium?
– Yes, we are here to compete at a high level and the pallet space is always the goal. It is winning shells that stand in the kitchen and compete under very high pressure, says Arne Søvig, general manager of the Norwegian Gastronomy Foundation.
Feels the pressure
Norway competes on day to day and is nation number seven. The favorites France and Denmark are already competing on the first day.
The winner will be chosen on Thursday evening.
– Do you feel the pressure?
– Yes, you do. One has to do it too, but it is not something to spend time and focus on reaching. It is a great motivation to be here and you are hooked by the pressure from the stands during the competition, says Filip August Bendi.
The day before the competition itself, Team Norway spends looking at the other nations.
– I’m pretty calm and am now sitting out in the sun enjoying myself. I have been putting on the competition all day. I am calm and in control, says Bendi, the day before he himself goes into the fire to defend Norway’s honor and European Championship gold.
The competition itself you can follow her: https://presse.norskgastronomi.no