2010 Laureates

Rasmus KOFOED

Restaurant Geranium

Per Henrik Lings Allé

4-2100 COPENHAGEN

Denmark

Presentation

Born on August 22nd 1974

Rasmus Kofoed is from Denmark, where he has picked up the national traits of exigency and friendly casualness. These traits have helped him to excel professionally in famed restaurants; the Scholteshof in Belgium, the Kommandanten in Copenhagen to name but two. He was the captain of the Danish culinary team during 7 years. Chef of the Year in 2003, he participates in competition after competition: he was winner of the Nordic Championship in Stockholm in 2004, then winner of the Eurotoques 2004 prize… which opened the door to the Bocuse d’Or where he reached the third step of the podium. After having won the 1^st prize of the Nordic Trophy for the Best Fish 2005, and the Cordon Bleu in 2006, he again won the Eurotoques prize and the Desserts championship in 2006. When not cooking or playing football he likes art, travelling and eating in the best restaurants. A dramatic turn of events occurred in 2007 when he participated in the Bocuse d’Or and rose to the second step of the podium! On returning to Copenhagen, he opened the Geranium, an organic gastronomic restaurant (he is a convinced practitioner of this style of cuisine). After winning a star in no time, he was obliged to close for reasons beyond his control. However, his fighting spirit is leading him to open a new Geranium in 2010, bigger, more beautiful and stronger than the first. And, always hungry for challenge, he decided to compete for the Bocuse d’Or 2011, aiming to pick up the gold. Goal reached, he has now written a new page in the history of the competition by winning gold!

Gunnar HVARNES

Restaurang Charles & de Langgaten 41

4306 SANDNES

Norvège

Presentation

Born May 5 1977

Gunnar Hvarnes is the eighth Norwegian to mount the Bocuse d’Or podium! A fine achievement for this chef whose first experience in the world of cooking was as a dishwasher in the kitchen of a ferry boat between Norway and Sweden! He started out as an apprentice in a hotel in Gaustablikk, a popular ski resort in the mountainous Telemark region, then began working in various Norwegian restaurants. Gunnar’s time at Bon Lloc, Mathias Dahlgren’s first restaurant in Sweden, had a lasting influence on him. Dahlgren is a leader of the Scandinavian “philosophy” of Nordic cooking that draws on its roots and strives to achieve a simple and natural quality. The Nordic influence and his training in French cuisine (including with Bocuse in 1997) have made Gunnar Hvarnes a well-rounded chef with a solid foundation. Since 2006 he has worked at Hos Ingrid (at Ingrid’s) at the well-known Gastronomisk Institutt in Stavanger. In September 2011, he is recruited by Charles Tjessem with whom he prepares the opening of a new restaurant, MAESTRO, in the future brand new Concert Hall in Stavanger. Gunnar will be the Chef there with his own spirit of cooking. Of course he is also a member of the Norwegian Culinary Team, a preparatory school for the Bocuse d’Or, a competition that he sees as the “ultimate challenge for a chef!” He listens to Pearl Jam’s music whenever he can - a terrific way to boost your energy!

Jerome Jaegle

Restautant Têtedoie

Montée du chemin Neuf

69005 Lyon

France

Presentation

Born November 2, 1979

Even if cooking is my first passion, I also leave me time to breathe during walks in the countryside. Mounts of Ardeche and the Gorges du Verdon are the best places for me to recharge my batteries.

Fishing is one of my favourite hobby, I am one of those who let go their catches in the rivers, in the sea…It allows me to find precious moments of calm and peace.