Christian André Pettersen secured a gold medal for Norway’s team of top chefs at the European Championships of the Bocuse d’Or competition in Tallinn. He led a team that served a Norwegian menu they were sure would go down well.
It did, featuring delicacies like smoked quail, potato ravioli and crayfish sauce. There were 16 teams competing in the competition that allowed Norway to defend its honour after also winning the last European Championships in 2018. Last year Pettersen won bronze at the World Championships in Lyon.
This year’s competition was, like everything else, affected by the Corona crisis, not least after teams from Belgium, Great Britain, Turkey and Croatia had to withdraw. Cheering fans back home in Sandnes, where Pettersen has been chef at the restaurant Mondo, helped make up for a lack of spectators at the competition itself.
Pettersen is originally from Bodø, in Northern Norway. He and his team’s expertise in the kitchen “is fantastic, impressive and important for gastro-tourism” in Norway, claimed the head NHO Reiseliv, the national organization for employers in the tourism industry. “The world’s many food enthusiasts will take notice that the victory as Europe’s best cook has gone to Norway,” said NHO’s Kristin Krohn Devold. “That will increase interest in our country as a food destination.”
newsinenglish.no staff
