Press release -

The WORLDCHEFS CONGRESS 2014 in Stavanger

This bi-annual event is owned by WORLDCHEFS, the global authority of chefs, and organised by the Norwegian Chefs’ Association.  Having started 80 years ago  as an event where members of the association gather for the board meetings, the WORLDCHEFS Congress has gone through a revolutionary change since its 2012 edition in Daejeon, Korea.


Since the appointment of Chef Charles Carroll from the United States as Chairman of the WORLDCHEFS Congress in 2012,  the programme has grown to include more dynamic segments, such as the inclusion of star chef speakers who share their insights and experiences with fellow chefs.

Says Chefs Carroll, “We are always working towards a programme that will be beneficial and inspirational for the chefs. We hope they will walk away from the Congress thinking ‘wow, that was truly an experience. I want to be back again.”

The speakers confirmed for this line-up include award winning chef Rick Tramonto from Chicago, Dong Zhen Xiang from the famous Da Dong Restaurant in Beijing and a Master of Chinese Cuisine, sustainable seafood spokesman and Top Chef USA candidate Rick Moonen and renowned chocolate and pastry master Frédéric Bau from France to name a few.

Competition action will also be heating with, the finals of the Global Chef Challenge, Global Pastry Chefs Challenge and Hans Bueschkens Young Chef Challenge taking place at the same time. Chefs who have emerged champions in their continents will go on to battle it out for the overall world title.

The Norwegian Chefs’ Association will also be pulling out all the stops to showcase the renowned and celebrated produce from the Nordic countries, in particular the opening dinner.

President of WORLDCHEFS, Gissur Gudmundsson shares, “Yes, the Congress has always been a great place for networking, but all work and no play makes a chef a dull one. We hope to inject a bit of fun as well!”

Event Highlights

1) Opening Dinner: Three chefs chosen from each of the five Nordic countries had composed an ambitious menu with the very best produce and techniques from their native countries.

Nordic Evening Menu

Amuse Bouche

Danish Smørrebrød - Dyrlegens Natmad (Denmark)

Poached salted cod with crayfish and juice (Iceland)

Cold smoked elk tartar, Kalix roe, mustard emulsion, juniper berries, rosemary, almond potato and cress (Sweden)

Salted and dried cod Klippfisk balls ‘Ålesund’ with ramson mayonnaise (Norway)

Mature cheese with seasonal garnish (Finland)

Starter - Norway

Scallops ‘Hitra’ served as tartar with crispy oats

Crayfish ‘aspik’ with apple jelly and fennel

Halibut remoulade ‘Hjelmeland’ served on rye crisps and Icelandic seaweed søl

Mains – Sweden and Denmark

Braised and grilled breast of lamb, smoked lamb sausage with lemon thyme, vinegar pickled beets, chanterelles, fried red onion, carrot, almond potato pure seasoned with Swedish flavours. For summer; ramson flowers and truffles from Gotland.

There’s also pork filet with small, glazed beetroots, pea puree, horseradish cream, crackling, new potatoes and sauce.

Dessert - Finland and Iceland

Wild strawberry mousse with blackcurrant-leaf-brûlée, crispy white chocolate, served with spruce foam, and milk cookies – sprinkled with pollen and spelt crumbs.

Energy bar in two parts on Icelandic dark chocolate

2) Parade of Nations from City Centre Hotels to Restaurant Hall Toll:

This ceremony is always  a spectacle, with chefs from almost 100 member countries proudly carrying their flags at this grand opening event.


3) Star Speakers

Hear from top international chefs from around the world, from Dong Zhen Xiang (Da Dong restaurant, Beijing) to Rick Tramonto and Rick Moonen from the United States. 


Topics

  • Food industry

Categories

  • congress
  • norway
  • worldchefs
  • world association of chefs so

About WORLDCHEFS

WORLDCHEFS is a global network of chefs associations first founded in October 1928 at the Sorbonne in Paris. At that first congress there were 65 delegates from 17 countries, representing 36 national and international associations, and the venerable August Escoffier was named the first Honourary President of WORLDCHEFS.

Today, this global body has 93 official chefs associations as members that represent over 10 million professional chefs worldwide. The biennial congress is a hallmark tradition of WACS and has been organised in over 20 cities across the world throughout its illustrious 82-year history.

WORLDCHEFS is managed by an elected presidential body consisting of the WORLDCHEFS president, vice president, treasurer, secretary general and ambassador honourary president, as well as a board of continental directors that look after the regions of Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific and the Americas. Three separate committees, the Culinary Competitions Committee, the Education Committee and the Marketing and Communication committee, as well as several sub-committees, manage our programs and different activities.