This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress
After a highly noted participation of the national teams in the Caterers’ World Cup and the Pastry World Cup, at the Sirha Salon in Lyon (January 23-27), it is the turn of the Morocco “gastronomy” team to take over this Sunday for the third culinary final on the program for this edition, coveting the prestigious Bocuse d’Or 2025.
During this final competition worthy of the “Olympic Games” for chefs, Moroccan culinary art is represented by chef Yassine Bogdad, accompanied by his commis Youssef Lamghani and coached by Ahmed Bem Semlali, who are banking, here too, on promotion of local products from the Kingdom to stand out and captivate the jury.
Aligned from the first day of the event, in box 3 of the Sirha Lyon 2025 competition area, the trio offers, like the other Moroccan candidates during previous competitions concerning pastry and catering, culinary creations inspired by riches of the Moroccan region and international requirements.
“As with previous events, it is about promoting Moroccan heritage, but above all local products, notably saffron and candied lemon,” explained Kamal Rahal Essoulami, president of the Moroccan teams and Africa ambassador of the World Cup. world of pastry.
The three teams come from the continental selections of the Official Chefs Tournament (TOC Africa), organized on September 12 and 13, 2024 in Marrakech, under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, he recalled, specifying that the qualifiers for the Next editions will also be held in the ocher city, next May at the national level and in 2026 for the continental tournament.
At the head of the Rahal group, organizer of the decisive stage in Marrakech for the qualification of African teams for the final stages of Lyon, the culinary events professional says he is proud of the journey of Moroccan chefs who have gained in professionalism, which allows them to represent Morocco and Africa with dignity today at this unmissable gastronomic event, by making the national cultural heritage their main source of inspiration.
For the Bocuse d’Or final in Lyon, the Marrakech stage saw Morocco qualify in first place, alongside the Mauritius Islands, thanks to an exceptional performance against talented chefs from all over Africa .
In total, 24 countries are participating in this prestigious final highlighting the evolution of global cuisine, driven in each of its editions by new generations of chefs.
The Bocuse d’Or, a true summit of global culinary art, brings together every two years the greatest chefs in the world in a competition that tests their creativity, their technical skills and their ability to sublimate products.
The 2025 edition promises to be rich in new products and more than ever in tune with societal trends in cuisine, according to its organizers who ensure that this prestigious culinary competition “is always renewing itself to strengthen its role as a laboratory of excellence and innovation. ‘inspiration for the catering of tomorrow’.
Imagined in 1987 by the famous French chef Paul Bocuse, the competition has been held every two years at Sirha Lyon, a major event in the restaurant, hotel and food sector.
During the previous edition, the show brought together nearly 210,000 professionals from 152 countries, 4,700 exhibitors and brands, spread over 140,000 m² and covering 14 different sectors ranging from furniture to food products.
