Geir Skeie from Norway World Chef Champion 2009
Blogging about Norway; our culture, traditions and habits including food, it would have been a disgrace not to mention today’s big event: Geir Skeie was the winner of the 2009 Bocuse d’Or:
Geir Skeie (born July 2, 1980, in Fitjar, Norway) is chef, winner of the 2008 Bocuse d’Or Europe and now the 2009 world final. He made the decision to pursue this goal already in 1993 when watching the chef Bent Stiansen on television having become the first Norwegian to win the contest, and subsequently worked towards it for the last fifteen years. In contrast to his fellow candidates in the 2009 finals who have lodgings in Lyon where they make their last preparations, Skeie rented a large semi-trailer truck with an installed training kitchen. (Photo: Jarle Vines – from Wikipedia)
The Bocuse d’Or (the Concours mondial de la cuisine, World Cuisine Contest) is a biennial world chef championship. Named for the chef Paul Bocuse, the event takes place during two days near the end of January in Lyon, France at the SIRHA International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade Exhibition, and is one of the world’s most prestigious cooking competitions.
The theme and ingredient for the 2009 competition was:
Meat dish to serve 14 persons: Scotch Beef Aberdeen Angus
1 Angus fillet steak 2 kg to 2.5 kg
1 ox tail (approximately 1 kg)
2 ox cheeks (approximately 500 g per cheek)
3 beef ribs (3 to 4 kg total, supplied not stripped)
Fish dish to serve 14 persons: Norwegian Sea Products
Norwegian Fresh Cod: 1 piece 5 to 6 kg (11 lbs – 12 lbs), complete with its head
Norwegian King Scallops, 45 pieces with their shells (12-13cm)
Norwegian Wild Prawns, uncooked, 3 kg (6.5 lbs)
One would think that Geir from Norway is natural talented when it comes to the fish dish 
In an interview on the news this evening, his mother said she assumes he started to cook as she wasn’t that good in the kitchen herself. A Swede came second and France took the bronze medal.
I consider myself far from being a chef, but my regular readers know I love to cook – especially together with my wife – and seafood is our favourite. As an example, you might like to read Diane’s guest post: Something Fishy in the Norwegian kitchen.
Norway’s Pride
congrats bro
Congratulations to Geir. But I am also very curious about whether Geir and I could be related. My grandfather Ole Skeie came to America from Donna, a small island near the Lofoton Islands, back in the 1880′s. Arnie Skeie
Congrats to Geir!
My son who is a trainee chef is working towards that goal too, to be a champion at cooking competitions.
Glad to see that your back is recovering.
Sadly, I don’t come across Norwegian restaurants in the USA or anywhere I travel.
wow that was an interesting event and congratulation to the winner. My husband also loves to cook more than i do.
have a great weekend Renny =)
Hi Renny, Just came across your website. Love the nordic countries and the image on top. Just had this as a photo on my site a few days ago. I subscribed to your RSS. great site…see ya soon!
Hi Renny…great post…and you always have the inside scoop on Norway!
Hope all is well with you and Diane….Oh, and Olga too!
Have a great week
Hi, it is my first time here in your blog, and I just want to say that it is so nice to be here.
Excellent!
Thanks for sharing!
I’ve read about it on Bergens Tidende and so happy that he won. Not to mention that he is somewhat a cutie as well hehehehe.
as i told you before, when i visit your blog, most of the time i get hungry becquse of the food you post.
i hope the chef wins. and the chef looks cute huh? hehehe ;p
This is in fact the 4th time a Norwegian Chef has won the “world championship in cooking”.
Only France has a better winning stastitics.
Norway, of all Countries: The best chefs in the world.
My dear friend, I think most of your readers are more or less confused by this simple fact.
And Sweden were #2.
Scandinavia is the region for the best food on this planet.
“Ox Tails” and “Ox Cheeks”…that “CHeeks” are new to me and though I’ve heard of Ox Tail, I’ve never eaten it…All I can see in my minds eye is a big long OIx Tail swishing about….And, this does not sound very appitizing to me….lol!
What part of the Ox is ‘the cheeks’??
RennyBA
)
Well, Ox tail soup is suppose to be a gourmet adventure
The Cheeks is from the head (not the other part
Great talent there!
what a great story!
I’ve been busy with my new happenings and being sick.. But thank you for the funny story! Now for my photo hunt soon and off to work I go..
Have a great weekend!
RennyBA
I knew you would love it ET!
Hope you feel better soon – wishing you a great one too!
Sounds like a hearty Minnesotan meal … minus the Hot Dish!
How you doing Renny? Big hello from SpeedyCat
RennyBA
Didn’t know, but your the expert here!
I’m relatively good – thanks for asking
Congratulations to Norway and to Chef Skeie, Renny. I’m not a fan of cooking but when I put my mind to it, I can come up with quite a credible meal.
RennyBA
Thanks Robyn – imagination is an important part of cooking you know.
hi Renny
I’m not surprised that a Norwegian Chef is the winner!!
I hope you are getting better and that you up and about soon and enjoying your favourite restaurants
RennyBA
Thanks Kim – what a compliment!
Thanks for your warm wishes
I hope you feel better by now, Renny, sorry to hear that you were sick. Congrats to that young man, he will make his way in this world of culinary “best of the best”.
We will be on the road again on Saturday, I don’t know to where we will go, probably more South. I don’t know either if we will have Wi-Fi again. But I’ll be back blogging for sure as soon as I can.
RennyBA
Thanks for your warm wishes and your greetings for Geir too.
Wishing you still a great trip – please keep us posted when you can!
Congrats to Norway. And Sweden. And France. Hm, sounds a bit like our blog meeting we’re gonna have in France in August
RennyBA
Yea; Scandinavians and French makes a smashing good team and we’re looking forward to a taste of it in August too
You don’t suppose I could meet RennyBA jr. do ya?
Renny where is your son, and for how long. I will be there til Feb 22nd. Bangalore, Delhi Goa and Mysore only.
Woudnt it be fun….
Congrats on becoming a finalist. I voted for you!
RennyBA
I know it’s not very likely, but yes, it could have been fun.
My son has been travelling around in India for some month. He was on a backpacker trip two years ago in Asia and as an adventures boy, he wanted to explore India too. I think its great to get this kind of global experience and then you have to do it before settled down with family and such. He has been in Goa for a while, and then to Bombay. Then he said his plan was to go to Himalaya and maybe Nepal together with a local guy on a motor bike.
Thanks for your support Susie!
I’ll trade some strawberries for some Norwegian scallops – YUM! Hope you are feeling a bit better this week
RennyBA
Its a deal Hexe!
I feel a bit better, thank you.
I could use a good cook!
RennyBA
You should invite Geir then
Hey Renny,
I hope you’re feeling better, my friend.
Angus…Mmmmm….fine meat. I love the Norwegian smoked salmon; and the cod is also good (did you know that Portugal is Norway’s top cod buyer? We dry it in salt and prepare in more than 1,000 ways (anyone coming to Portugal must taste our Bacalhau [cod]).
It is nice to cook with one’s spouse, isn’t it
?
This was a nice post, relaxing…thanks
!
I wish you well…
RennyBA
!
I’m a bit better since I got pills for my pain.
Of course I know about the Norwegian dry cod used for Bachlahu in Portugal. An important export article from hundred of years back!
Glad you like the post too and wish you the same
Cheers
he’s done norway proud. congrats to him!
RennyBA
He really has
is it really true that men are the best chef in the world?
well, yeah, i may say that i have seen some of your techniques thru blogging!
ok,i gotta check Diane`s post and get well soon again,Renny!
RennyBA
I don’t think so, but they might be more competitive
We are just amateurs, but have a great time doing it.
“I love to cook – especially together with my wife”
What about a fish and meat dish for all your blogging friends ?
RennyBA
So your carving for Norwegian food again Sidney ?
This is a chummy group focused on food, not grammar, still I can’t resist asking the author of this line to consider a couple of basic rules:
” So your carving for Norwegian food again Sidney ? ”
The main point: please distinguish [you're] =
contraction for [you are] from [your] (possessive case).
Also [their] from [they're]
and [whose] from [who's].
And the word craving doesn’t need the “for” tacked on.
Ciao!
)
just to say happy week-and..
cheers from italy
RennyBA
)
Ciao Hanna – great to see you again and wishing you the same
Well done Geir!
My stepson is in his 2nd year of ‘cook school’. Irrespective of the result – I’m just glad he’s not in my kitchen anymore! I could never figure out why the toaster always went up in smoke – until I saw him butter the bread BEFORE he put it in the toaster……..
RennyBA
Well, we all started in Mom’s kitchen, didn’t we
I’ll swing by to Diane’s soon and hey Renny, I hope you are getting better. Take care.
RennyBA
Nice of you. I’ve got pills for my pain, so I’m fairly good.
Of course I am not surprised. I have a lot of experience with Norwegian cooks and they are usually quite good
RennyBA
Hmmmmmmm; a lot of experience with Norwegian cooks? I thought it was only me!
We both love to cook, Renny. Check my blog for a recipe for Boy Scout Chili.
RennyBA
Yes we do and your Chili looks and sounds delicious.
How great for Norway. I’m not hungry just with the two dishes you mentioned. You so know how I love all your food posts. You folks know how to enjoy each other company and a great meal too.
Have a terrific day. Big hug to you and Diane. Going over to her link now.
RennyBA
I know; we are two of a kind when it comes to seafood too and cooking together more than double the adventure I think.
Wishing you a great one too – thanks for the visit and nice comment on Diane’s guest post too