Young sous chef Théo Kopp from two-starred Ma Langue Sourit has secured his place in the world finals of the prestigious San Pellegrino competition this Monday.
“A unanimous decision,” says a modest Théo Kopp, whilst his mentor, two-starred chef Cyril Molard, beams with pride. The jury’s verdict came swiftly. “Head judge Franck Giovannini from the three-starred L’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier later told us they reached their decision in record time – Théo’s dish won them over instantly,” reveals Ma Langue Sourit’s head chef.
The pair had arrived at Switzerland’s Park Hotel Vitznau on Sunday for the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy regional heats. Ten promising young chefs from Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland faced the challenge of preparing their submitted signature dish, with a 6 am start on Monday.
“We went through everything time and again in our minds”
Lorraine-born Theo Kopp presented his take on the regional classic potée lorraine: “Prime pork cut with kimchi cabbage millefeuille, mirabelle plum, crispy pig’s ear and a reduced pork jus infused with Picon and mirabelles”. The young chef, who joined the Moutfort restaurant in January 2024, had just five hours to plate up ten portions.
Sunday was all about preparation. “The kitchen facilities were outstanding,” Molard enthuses. “Brand new everything! They’re hosting the next Swiss Bocuse d’Or here, you know.”
“We mentally walked through every step repeatedly, picked out all our equipment for the next day to avoid any rushing about, and got the fridges stocked,” says Theo, who had brought along all his carefully selected regional ingredients.
“Right down to the wire”
The five-hour challenge kicked off at 6:24 the next morning. “I used every last second – barely had time to throw on a clean jacket before presenting to the judges,” recalls the still-buzzing 28-year-old sous chef. “He put in tremendous work for this competition, and there was an awful lot to do. His presentation was spot-on too – really got his philosophy across,” his proud Luxembourg mentor adds.
Come autumn, Theo Kopp and Cyril Molard will head to Milan, where they’ll fly the flag for Luxembourg in the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy finals. They’ll showcase the same potée lorraine, but with extra finesse. “We can play around with the presentation, the plating… but the core dish stays,” muses Molard. “Not much wiggle room there,” Theo admits. “It’s all about perfecting the details now.”
In a double triumph for Luxembourg, Davide Calabrese, mentored by Italian chef Gigi Rana, scooped the Food For Thought Award 2024-2025 audience prize.
A clean sweep for the Grand Duchy!
Photo 1 : www.falstaff.com