Ryo Horiushi crowned winner of the 54th Taittinger Prix Culinaire

Ryo Horiushi of Le Jardin, Tokyo, has won the 54th Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire International final, held at Le Cordon Bleu in the 15th arrondissement in Paris.

He beat seven other contestants from Germany, the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France and Sweden, receiving €20,000 prize money, a medal and a trophy in the process.

Speaking on the podium of the Palais Garnier, where the results were announced, Horiuchi said: “I am really happy to come in this position. Thank you to everyone.”

Horiushi, who has collaborated closely with Alain Ducasse at the Palace Hôtel, has worked in both France and Japan. His victorious main contained 25 ingredients, including beef fillet, shiso, potatoes, truffle and chive.

Louis Cespades from Adam/Albin in Stockholm, Sweden, was runner-up, winning €5,000, while Jan Smink from Smink in Wolvega, the Netherlands, came third place, and was rewarded with €2,500.

Contestants had three hours and 45 minutes to prepare two dishes. The main theme for this year was beef, provided by Charles Verriet of La Ferme de Challouet.

The night before the competition, participants were also informed of the “Recette Imposée”, a spring vegetable starter, which included a range of roughly fifteen vegetables, such as asparagus, onions, and fresh herbs.

Emmanuel Renaut, president of the Prix International de Cuisine d’Auteur Le Taittinger, praised “la liberté sur l’entrée [the freedom of the starter]”, which demanded “spontaneity” and “guarding the traditions and the visions of the artist”.

He stressed that the introduction of a vegetarian starter was not the result of “following the latest trends”.

Deepak Mallya, premier sous chef at the Ritz, London, who also received an Acorn Award this year, represented the UK in the competition, narrowly missing out on a spot in the top three.

For the starter, Mallya chose asparagus, peas, broad beans and picked herbs, with seasonality at the forefront of his cooking. For the main, he devised beef cheek filled with foie gras, accompanied with bordelaise sauce.

Speaking to The Caterer, he said: “It was intense. It’s tight [in the kitchen] for fridge space and you can feel everyone, but you just focus on what you have to do and what’s in front of you.”

He was particularly keen to express his thanks to Tom Scade, who came third in the Taittinger competition of 2018 and supported Mallya throughout the process.

He added: “To be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. Last night, he stayed up until nearly 2am with me to change my time plan and to settle me down.”

Charles Columbeau, who represented the UK and won the last Taittinger Prix Culinaire, joined the judging panel for this year's event.

Speaking to The Caterer, he said: “We have seen many nice plates today. [The standard] is always as high as it has been. The one that will win today is the one with the best story to tell. There were a couple of chefs above the others, but it was still a great competition.”

Other members of the Jury International included: Dominique Crenn, Emmanuel Renaut, David Bizet, Kei Kobayashi, Julien Dumas, Christophe Bacquié, Jonathan Zandbergen, Pascal Grière and Éric Fréchon.

The Jury Cuisine, responsible for assessing the chefs’ organisation, cleanliness and interactions with the commis, was made up of Philippe Mille, Bernard Leprince and Kenichiro Sekiya.

Both Juries combined share 22 Michelin stars between them.

Candidates were marked on technique (35%), individuality (35%), aesthetics (20%) and cooking (10%).

The competition is open to chefs aged 24-39 with more than five years’ experience and is an opportunity to showcase their country and their culture. In the past 50 years, it has previously been won by chefs including Joël Robuchon and Michel Roth.

Image Credit: Jungmin Seo