March 1, 2019 • 2

Chef Ale Mordasini Wins Swiss National Culinary Arts Competition

A Swiss chef from the canton of Aargau, Ale Mordasini, took home the golden trophy at the Goldener Koch / Cuisinier d’Or this week. Organized by KADI, Switzerland’s National Culinary Arts competition was held at the Kursaal Bern with approximately 1,200 people in attendance. For 2019, the winner also will serve as the Swiss candidate for Bocuse d’Or Europe 2020 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Ale Mordasini (right) winner of the Cuisinier d’Or 2019, and his commis, Patrick Güntert (left).
Photo credit: Jonas Weibel.

Among the six chefs who earned a spot in the finals for the Goldener Koch / Cuisinier d’Or competition, Ale Mordasini earned the highest number of points from the jury. He currently works as the Chef de cuisine at Relais & Châteaux Krone in Regensberg, Switzerland. At 28 years of age, he is already a seasoned competitor, having won both the Vatel Culinary World Cup as part of the Swiss national junior team in 2014 and the WACS (World Association of Chefs) Global Chef European contest in 2013.

Finalists Alexandre Juton (left) and Ale Mordasini (right) preparing their dishes.

Additional winners from this year’s competition include:

2nd place: Victor Moriez, Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville de Crissier, Crissier
3rd place: Alexandre Juton, La Pinte des Mossettes, Val-de-Charmex
Best commis (junior chef): Silvan Oswald, team Lukas Schär
Winner of the public vote: Lukas Schär, Schüpbärg-Beizli, Schüpberg

The fish course from 2nd place winner, Victor Moriez.

Led by Frank Giovannini, Executive Chef at the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville de Crissier, the jury featured distinguished members of Switzerland’s gastronomy industry.

The impressive line-up of jury members for the Goldener Koch / Cuisinier d’Or.

The Rules of Play

Like a gastronomic sporting event, the Goldener Koch / Cuisinier d’Or takes place in front of a live audience. With the 5 hours and 30 minutes of cooking time allotted for the finalists, they had to prepare two sets of dishes with 14 servings each. First, with two commis to assist them, the chefs made a fish course with cod and shrimp in 4 hours and 15 minutes. Then, with only one commis and 75 minutes remaining, they plated their meat course made with three chickens from Gruyères, offal included, to showcase their “nose-to-tail” cooking techniques.

Approximately 1,200 people attended Goldener Koch / Cuisinier d’Or 2019.

The Winning Dishes

Mordasini’s fish course had bold colors, delicate flowers and elegant accents. Personally, it was my favorite dish of the competition. Here is what he prepared:

Sautéed cod with buckwheat and aromatic herbs
Mousseux de beurre blanc with tarragon
Crispy tartelette with smoked potato cream and Beluga caviar
Shrimp with bisque and croustillant
Braised onions

Mordasini’s fish course with sautéed cod and shrimp.

Mordasini’s fish course, as presented to the jury. Photo credit: Jonas Weibel.

For the meat course, consisting of three farm-raised chickens from Gruyères, Mordasini prepared the following:

Gruyères farm chicken cooked in a bladder à la sauce suprême and truffles
Crispy skin with chicken liver cream
Truffled juice
Braised potatoes and coq au vin chicken leg
Celery salad with truffle
Celery pudding with golden crisp

Mordasini’s meat course, as prepared for the jury. Photo credit: Jonas Weibel.

Tour Culinaire Suisse for Ale Mordasini

With his status as the Switzerland’s “golden chef” secured, Ale Mordasini will take part in the Tour Culinaire Suisse for 2019. He will get the chance to take his winning menu on the road, with a series of exclusive meals at highly-regarded Swiss restaurants. Through this experience, he will have the opportunity to cook with and learn from some of the most talented chefs working in Switzerland.