Swedish joy, Italian knock out

A totally Scandinavian podium at the European Bocuse d’Or: the organising country, Sweden, was first with chef Tommy Myllymaki, then came Denmark (Kenneth Hansen) and Norway (Orjan Johannessen). The chefs received glory, cheers and a cheque, for 6, 9 and 12 thousand euros. Consolation prizes for France (best fish dish, Nicolas Davouze), Finland (best meat dish, Matti Jamsen) and Russia (best commis, a woman). Twenty teams were competing, 12 were qualified in the finals which will take place in January 2015 in Lion. Italy, instead, was 15th out of 20, with 29 year old Diego Rigotti who deserved something quite different around him, and it would be better for him to take a break instead of imploring a wild card as in the last two times, adding mediocrity on top of mediocrity. It’s best to rethink the entire approach given to the event. We’re Italy, damn it, not just any ordinary country. You’re either capable of doing things seriously, or it’s best to leave the place to someone else.

Unfortunately, over here, many, too many people often think that it’s all a question of talent, and improvisation is a good thing. Unfortunately, constant practice, training and daily dedication, memorising some mechanisms without which one is left behind are all very important. There’s a precedent, though in football, not in the restaurant scene, and again it takes us back to Sweden, in 1992. What happened was that Serbia was banned from the European championship because it had began the war in the Balkans, and Denmark was chosen to fill its place, and arrived second in the eliminating round. It was June, the players well called back from their holiday destinations: all rested and relaxed, they had nothing to lose and in fact they won. However, they had also finished an agonistic season, so they were trained nonetheless, they knew each other well, they almost played by heart and besides, how about the psychological factor?

When gourmet Italy approaches the Bocuse d’Or, instead, it seems it has a resigned look painted on its face, like someone sentenced about to be executed. It stamps its badge, but would like to be somewhere else because the chef competing, this year it was the turn of starred chef Diego Rigotti of Maso Franch in Giovo, near Trento, was the first not to believe it, knowing very well he had been accepted when the time was already over. The other chefs had been training for months and months, with no distraction: they were paid to focus on the Bocuse.

Created in 1985, the first edition taking place two years later, always in Lion, this event has grown over time. We have not grown, instead. This is a gastro-sport world championship, with fans supporting with flags, whistles and faces painted with the flag’s colours. Once, the lighthouse for our country’s selection was Gualtiero Marchesi, then this thread was broken and the latest participations need to be recalled only as an advice to do better in a future which every two years (in even years the qualifications take place, in odd years there are the finals in January) is the same. If you don’t sew anything, you will not harvest anything, and everything will be repeated in the same, negative, way.

Bocuse d’Or is one of the channels that help giving strength to the French food and gastronomic system. As for Italy, one should wonder if participating makes sense, and act consequently. In my opinion, it indeed makes sense, but everything needs to be done seriously, in order to demonstrate that we’re not just a nation of improvised people not worthy of trust. Here’s a concrete and current example. The next selections will be in 2016, in Budapest. When the announcement was made, the head of the team was called on stage for a greeting, an attractive 70-year-old man: “Good evening, let me introduce myself: my name is Pál Schmitt, I have been the president of the Republic of Hungary and an Olympic champion too, twice. We offered to host the next Bocuse Europe because we believe we’re a great gastronomic destination and we want people to know it”. As Italians, we were hit and sunk.

The ranks: 1. Sweden, 2. Denmark, 3. Norway, 4, France, 5. Finland, 6. United Kingdom, 7. Iceland, 8. Estonia, 9. Hungary, 10. Germany, 11. Netherlands, 12. Switzerland, 13. Austria, 14. Belgium, 15. Italy (Rigotti’s fish was good, the meat not so much), 16. Spain, 17. Turkey, 18. Russia, 19. Luxembourg, 20. Bulgaria.