The Bocuse d’Or is the World Cup of cooking — and the equivalence is evident from the patriotic clang produced by spectators from the 24 qualifying countries at the finals. The tournament is named for the late French chef Paul Bocuse, who pioneered nouvelle cuisine in the 1960s, and has been held biennially in his native Lyon since its inception in 1987. This year France took the gold medal, under chef Paul Marcon. It’s the ninth time the country has won the prize.
The official Bocuse d’Or website provides a count of the winners and runners-up over the past four decades. Brian Mark Hansen of Denmark triumphed in 2023, the country’s third first-place finish (it took silver this year). Nordic neighbor Norway has five gold medals (it also has four silver and three bronze). Luxembourg, the US and Sweden have one apiece.