The Hungarian team will take the stage at the Bocuse d’Or European Qualifiers on March 15th

The team: Bence Dalnoki, Roland Kelemen and Zoltán Vincze

The competition this year is also built on the tension of constancy and surprise. The mandatory ingredients for the bowl theme are grunt fish and purple artichoke, while the Mediterranean lifestyle must be evoked on the plate, including squid and Camargue bull tenderloin. However, the Hungarian team also injects its own character into the southern French atmosphere: Tokaji wine, sour cream and the idea of ​​a classic paprika redraw the Mediterranean map.

The novelty of this year’s competition is the so-called “on stage” challenge: after the second hour, the chefs leave the kitchen and, in front of the jury and the audience, prepare a Provençal-style aioli by hand – in just ten minutes. This task goes beyond technique: it is a demonstration of craftsmanship, where precision, creativity and personality are simultaneously put in the spotlight. Each competitor must also reflect their own national identity in the sauce, in the form of a characteristic ingredient.

The Hungarian team is once again led by Roland Kelemen, the chef of Hunguest Sóstó in Nyíregyháza, who won the special award for the best dish at both the European Selection in Trondheim and the final in Lyon. His work in the competition box is assisted by Zoltán Vincze as commis, who came to the team from the Iszkor bistro as a student of Ádám Pohner. The preparation is being managed by Bence Dalnoki, the bronze medalist chef from Lyon, as a coach, while Tamás Széll represents Hungary on the tasting jury this time.

At the press conference held within the framework of SIRHA Budapest, Ákos Bősze, representing Metro Hungary, spoke with the team members. Zoltán Hamvas, president of the Hungarian Bocuse d’Or Academy, spoke about the enormous development that has taken place in the past ten years: he recalled the first competition experiences when they were confronted with the standards of the Bocuse d’Or, and then emphasized that with the bronze medal in Lyon, Bence Dalnoki has become one of the chefs that the Bocuse family considers immortal. He also said that by giving motivation to countless beginners, they have also raised the prestige of the culinary profession. Roland Kelemen said that the goal of the current competition is clearly to take things to the next level. The expectations they set for themselves are also higher, they strive for precision, but now they can approach the competition more confidently.

Gábor Ganczer, CEO of Hungexpo, said that Hungexpo is intertwined with Bocuse, since the development and support of high-quality gastronomy is also very important to them, and in Bocuse they found a cause that they were very happy to support.

The several-month preparation also takes place at Hungexpo, the training ground of the Hungarian Bocuse d’Or Academy, where young professionals and students from all over the country also join in the work. The process not only prepares for a competition, but also shapes a generation.

The Hungarian team will compete on March 15, one of our most important national holidays. The results will be announced on March 16, in the evening.