June 7, 2023 • 0

Shaun Rollier Wins Cuisinier d’Or 2023 in Bern

The auditorium of the Kursaal Bern was filling up for the Cuisinier d’Or (FR) / Goldene Koch (DE) (Golden Chef) competition 2023. I watched as one of the five finalists used something like an ice cream scoop on a raw celery root to make perfect spheres. Dozens of supporters wore t-shirts emblazoned with the name of their favorite finalist. The sound of drums and cow bells permeated the competition, which at times felt like a raucous sporting event, even though its participants were wearing chef hats.

As in years past, after forgoing a live audience in 2021 due to the pandemic, this year’s final for Cuisinier d’Or took place once again before a crowd of over 1,000 people. Shaun Rollier, chef de partie at the Hotel Restaurant Valrose in Rougemont won the golden trophy this year.

*Shaun Rollier (right) accepting the golden chef trophy with his commis, Gabriel Lopez). Photo credit: Le Cuisinier d’Or.*

Switzerland’s National Culinary Competition

Organized by KADI, the Cuisinier d’Or is considered to be Switzerland’s national culinary arts competition. Since 1991, the golden chef trophy has been awarded 19 times, with the 2023 competition celebrating its 20th anniversary.

For the final, five chefs cooked before the live audience. They qualified for this last stage during the semi-final round held on January 30, 2023, at the Trafo in Baden. Here are the five finalists:

Daniele Angelosanto, Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville, Crissier (Vaud)
Mario Garcia, mariogarcia GmbH, Horw (Luzern)
Robin Höfer, Restaurant Ossiano at the Hotel Atlantis, Dubai
Janic Mühlemann, Restaurant Giardino at Kursaal Bern (Bern)
Shaun Rollier, Hôtel Restaurant Valrose, Rougemont (Vaud)

*The five finalists for the Cuisinier d’Or, hard at work in the auditorium at Kursaal Bern.*

The Winning Dishes

At the finale of the competition in Bern, the chefs were allotted 5 hours and 30 minutes. During this time, they had to prepare two sets of dishes with 12 servings each. The fish course was presented first, after 4 hours and 15 minutes. Then, the meat dish was served 1 hour and 15 minutes later. Each chef had one commis (assistant) to help them.

For the fish course, the finalists had to incorporate the following ingredients:

3 Swiss Arctic char weighing approx. 800 to1000 grams each, gutted
3 separate vegetarian sides
a single sauce
fromage frais (fresh cheese) and hazelnuts

Here is Shaun Collier’s winning menu for the fish course:

Arctic char, herbs, fresh cheese – Omble chevalier, herbes, fromage frais
Potatoes, Cajun spices and red onion – Pommes de terre, épices cajuns, oignon rouge
Celery root, snow peas and shelled peas – Céleri, pois mange-tout, petits pois
Asparagus, potatoes and hazelnuts – Asperges, pommes de terre, noisettes
Hollandaise sauce – Sauce hollandaise

*Shaun Collier’s fish course, as presented to the jury. Photo credit: Le Cuisinier d’Or*.

For the meat course, the finalists had to include these ingredients:

Swiss veal fillet, short cut, approx. 1.5 kilograms
2 Swiss veal tongues, approximately 500 grams each
3 separate sides
one sauce
rhubarb and pink pepper

And finally, here is Shaun Collier’s winning menu for the meat course:

Swiss veal filet, mushrooms and pink pepper – Filet de veau suisse, champignons, poivre rose
Swiss veal tongue, red shallots and chives – Langue de veau suisse, échalotes rouges, ciboulette
Leeks, bacon and rhubarb – Poireau, lard, rhubarbe
Morels, egg yolk and praliné of porcini mushrooms – Morilles, jaune d’œuf, praliné de cèpes
Carrots, herbs and spices – Carottes, herbes, épices
Veal stock – Jus de veau

*Shaun Collier’s meat course, as presented to the jury. Photo credit: Le Cuisinier d’Or*.

Additional Prizes

Additional winners from the 2023 competition are as follows:

2nd place: Daniele Angelosanto
3rd place: Mario Garcia
Winner of the public vote (i.e., People’s Choice Award): Daniele Angelosanto
Best commis (junior chef): Colin Gervaix

Jury Members for Cuisinier d’Or 2023

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.