Bocuse d’Or France: full marks for Davy Tissot and Nicolas Grüner

They pulled it off! This Tuesday at the Palais de la Mutualité in Paris, Davy Tissot our chef and Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) in 2004 – a national award recognising outstanding craftsmanship – was awarded first prize by an illustrious panel of judges in the prestigious national final of the Bocuse d’Or Trophy. Seconded by Nicolas Grüner, an Institut Paul Bocuse student, the chef-instructor at our gastronomic Saisons restaurant has now become the first ever MOF to win the award.

The duo had 5 hours and 35 minutes to come up with a rabbit meat dish plus 8 other dishes inspired by artichokes, two basic products that didn’t stop our team impressing the judges with their creativity.

“We really enjoyed ourselves from start to finish” said Davy Tissot. This 11th edition of the French national competition once again cooked up a mix of emotion and excitement. Following a period of preparation focused on developing technical, applied and creative skills, the Lyon-based chef admitted to feeling “very proud to be representing France” at the European Bocuse d’Or final and insisted on expressing his gratitude to “Monsieur Paul”.

A true competitor, chef Tissot strives to pass on the values of perfectionism and know-how that characterise Institut Paul Bocuse to a new generation of professionals. This naturally also includes Nicolas Grüner, who is a student from the Bachelors in Culinary Arts course. Elected best commis chef of the competition and trained by the best chefs in France, Nicolas is a perfect example of commitment and rigour. 

The adventure will therefore continue for our two award winners, even if they recognise that “the hardest part is still to come”. The next stage will be the European Bocuse d’Or final in 2020, which will be an amazing opportunity to further promote French gastronomy and the excellence of our school. 

The students and staff at Institut Paul Bocuse would like to congratulate chef Tissot and his commis chef Nicolas Grüner for winning this fantastic title, and wish them all the best for the following stages of the competition!