Bocuse d'Or Ukraine and a trip to the European final

There were 8 teams of chefs and their assistants, from different parts of Ukraine, who took part in the fierce struggle. The contest lasted 5 hours and 35 minutes and not a single minute longer. During this time, the team had to prepare 28 portions of their signature recipes for meat and fish dishes. All the cooking process was live with no prior demi-cooked ingredients. Dishes were presented to the international honorary jury, who were meticulously judging all the smallest details.
By the way, Mr. Florent Suplisson, Gastronomic Events Director of  Bocuse d'Or in the world, attended the competition and he praised the organizational work and the technical support of the contest.

While the candidates were cooking their contest dishes, there was an opportunity to watch master classes from the famous foreign and Ukrainian chefs at the grand stage. Chefs who had held the master classes are Artur Kazaritski, Achim Schwekendiek, Eugen Korolev, Viktor Tymchyshyn, Xavier Bouriot and Miguel Rocha Vieira.
Lecture zone, which was situated in the Expo Zone of the location, had the headliner topics for a discussion with professionals, such as "HACCP and its importance", or "current concepts of the restaurants", or "what are the miscommunications between marketing and owner and how to develop a marketing strategy" and many others.
Apart from the lecture program, the organizers took care of those who would like to do something by hand and came up with an incredibly interesting program for the workshop. In the workshop area, guests together with the chefs had the opportunity to prepare a variety of dishes and get to know some secrets of success. Dishes that were presented - baked leeks with San Jacques and chanterelle mushrooms, seasoned with garlic mousse, incredibly delicious chicken strips from TM "Kurator" and examples of a successful combination with side dishes, and vegan burgers with Garden Gourmet, Nestle.

This victory is important, because this is the first "Bocuse d'Or" that the Ukrainian received in the National Selection and not the last, as Maxim aims to win the dream statuette at the European finals in March 2022 in Budapest and move on and glorify Ukrainian cuisine on Bocuse d'Or Grand Final. In addition, Maxim received a prize of 100 thousands UAH.
The second place was taken by Vadym Zakharov (Dnipro), with his assistant Dmytro Gapon, and he received a prize of 50 thousands UAH. The third place was awarded to Vitaly Nuzhny (Kharkov) with his assistant Pham Nguyen Hai Dang.

Karolina Zalewska, Lucky restaurant, won the nomination “the best assistant”. She was also granted an internship at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Budapest. Vladislav Lionov, sous-chef of Sense restaurant in Dnipro, won the nomination "the best meat dish", and Oleksandr Lipko, chef of La Veranda Restaurant in Kyiv, was nominated for "the best fish dish".
According to the judges, it was quite difficult to determine who was the best, because each of the candidates put an effort to win.
Ukraine has joined the large Bocuse d’Or family and is confidently moving towards the Bocuse d’Or Europe Final 2022. We wish inspiration to Maksym Prykhodko and his assistant Vasyl Fisyuk and sincerely believe in the invincible Ukrainian spirit.
The main partner of the Bocuse d'Or Ukraine 2021 National Selection Contest is METRO Cash & Carry Ukraine. TM Tork was responsible for the cleanliness and hygiene of the candidates' workplace, and San Pellegrino & Acqua Panna brands provided water to keep hydrated the candidates, the jury and the visitors.

Creating the history of Ukrainian gastronomy together!