As a certain football competition grabs the spotlight in Qatar, a Scotland team made up mainly of north-east chefs is flying out to Luxembourg to compete in the World Cup of cooking.
This Saturday marks the start of the Culinary World Cup, a competition contested by teams of six chefs from 55 countries.
Held every four years in Luxembourg City, the tournament – along with the IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany – is regarded as one of the most prestigious in team cooking.
And, as for the footballers in Qatar right now, the event can mark the pinnacle of a chef’s career.
However, unlike in Qatar, a Scotland team is not only in attendance but considered a contender for the main prize.
Two years ago at the Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, the Scots took home two silver medals to mark the country’s best performance in the event for at least 20 years.
In Luxembourg this week, the team – ranked an incredible 13th in the world – are looking to perform even better.
“To compete on that sort of stage with the best – it’s really good,” says Scotland’s team captain Orry Shand and one of three on the Scottish team from the north-east. “It’s almost like a football team going into the Champions League.”
The ultimate test of teamwork and nerve
Orry and his team will cook twice in Luxembourg; once for The Chef’s Table round and again in the Restaurant of Nations.
And while the Chef’s Table – which has teams preparing dishes for a panel of 12 judges – is challenging enough, it’s the Restaurant of Nations that Orry is looking forward to.
That’s when each team cooks a full menu for 110 members of the public in the ultimate test of teamwork and nerve.
“It’s almost like opening up a restaurant in a completely unknown location,” says Orry, who like half of the Scottish team works for Westhill catering company Entier. “There’s so many things that can go wrong.”
Adding to the pressure is the fact that only Orry – a former Scottish chef of the year – and one other teammate have competed at this level before. Both Orry and Aberdeenshire-based Craig Palmer were key figures in 2020’s Stuttgart success.
However, the newbies have been prepped on what to expect and can’t wait to get stuck in.
“I’m nervous, but very excited for the whole experience,” says Alanna McCarthy, head pastry chef at Meldrum House outside of Inverurie.
“I don’t really understand the hugeness of it. But at the end of the day I am representing Scotland in the biggest culinary competition in the world, which is insane.”
The 32-year-old from Caithness is used to working under pressure at Meldrum House. But she recognises that Luxembourg will be “another level”.
“It’s going to be more intense,” she explains.
The judges are known for their exactness, and the work kitchen has to be kept spotlessly clean otherwise points can be docked.
Alanna also notes the judges like to get up close to everything the chef’s are working on.
“In a normal service, you haven’t got people coming around and temperature probing all your stuff,” she says with a laugh.
Oh, oh. Here come the Scandinavians
When it comes to rivals, who should Scotland fear in Luxembourg?
“Sweden and Norway,” says Orry without hesitation.
Alanna is equally sure.
“Oh, Sweden and Norway,” she says.
In competitive team cooking, the Scandinavians loom large.
Sweden won four years ago in Luxembourg and are one of the favourites this year. Norway took top spot at the last Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart.
“They’ve just kind of got the best of everything,” says Orry, the executive chef for Entier.
“But it’s something to aspire to. And you’ve got to stand back and admire it. You still need to put the hard graft in and you still need to have the skill set.”
It’s an attitude the Scots are looking to emulate. If they can, they may be able to cook up a surprise or two.
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