Bocuse d'Or Finland: At the finnish line

Ismo Sipeläinen, Kaisa Laanemäe and Kristian Vuojärvi have become a tight-knit team as they prepare to represent Finland in the Bocuse d’Or European competition in Trondheim. Now, they are raring to go: Every single move has been polished, and their strategies are in place.

“We have discussed every element. Crucially, everything on the plate and platter is justified. An attention-grabbing element made in a new way can ultimately be very small,” says Vuojärvi.

The team is aware that the European qualifying competition in Trondheim is even more significant than the final competition in Lyon. “The European competition in Trondheim is critical in the sense that it is the only place to make a statement saying: ‘Here we come.’ I think new elements should be used there. After Trondheim, they are updated for Lyon,” explains Vuojärvi.

Sipeläinen has seen the entire spectrum of training approaches during his Bocuse d’Or years. When he was Matti Jämsén’s assistant, the team didn’t leave the training kitchen overnight. Instead, they slept on the kitchen floor in sleeping bags so they could start early the next day. When he represented Finland in 2017, the training volume was consciously reduced. In 2024, the focus is on training more consciously and purposefully rather than late into the night.

Vuojärvi emphasizes balance.

“We have focused more broadly on the work-life balance. I think about all aspects: everything affects everything. I consider how these two can endure. The work must be fun, and every element in the dish must be top-notch,” he says.

Enduring excessively long days with bleary eyes is unreasonable, according to Vuojärvi, who emphasized this before the training sessions began. “Do we do 20 timing exercises because we have to, or 12 well-done ones? Are we paying attention to the right things? When we ensure that everyone focuses 120 % on what they do, we get a better result. Some people thrive with a lot of repetition, while others need a certain kind of relaxation – Ismo belongs to the relaxed group,” Vuojärvi explains.

The culinary competition is physically demanding. “We have done three timing exercises per week. It’s physically demanding, so competitors need to be in good shape. Besides training, exercising outdoors and eating properly are essential,” says Vuojärvi.

The team’s guiding principle has been to do things differently. While acknowledging what works well, they have evaluated the benefits and drawbacks. As for kitchen work, the team members don’t want to reveal their secret: they have debated whether to go old-school or make a major statement.

“Is our approach minimalist or grandiose? You will see in Trondheim!” sums up Vuojärvi.

External perspectives were also sought to avoid the dreaded tunnel vision. “The trend is to use assistant coaches. For us, it was important to have an outsider as a taster in the late stages of training, someone with a different palate,” Vuojärvi explains.

The team didn’t want an assistant coach to join the team too early, as the intention was clear: the dish must reflect Sipeläinen’s soul; it cannot be a package bought from an external consultant. When valuable help is sought at the right time, it doesn’t steer the process too much.

A new focus was sought on networking and marketing the Finnish team, as Sipeläinen brought Sasu Laukkonen, one of Finland’s most internationally connected chefs, on board as the team manager. Tommi Tuominen’s role as the president of Bocuse d’Or Academy Finland on the judging panel is crucial. However, the team wanted everything to be ready before Tuominen tasted the competition dishes.

“We wanted to get his authentic perspective as a judge when he tastes it for the first time. It was valuable for us to have him evaluate our performance purely on the first tasting,” explains Vuojärvi. Ismo Sipeläinen’s guiding principle is to deliver a better performance than in the last round. “I can be satisfied if we are less than 31 points from third place. If we can narrow the gap, we are making progress,” he says.

In the previous competitions, Sipeläinen received the valuable recognition of the best meat platter, but few Bocuse d’Or competitors celebrate such a title because it automatically means they are not on the podium. “If there’s a third personal best meat platter, we’ll use it as a marketing angle since no one in the competition’s history has four awards. Just kidding.”

Although Trondheim “only” hosts the qualifying competition, Sipeläinen feels that his team’s work is building towards the future. “In Trondheim, we will work towards Lyon and beyond. The European qualifier has a significant weight, both in terms of results and creating hype!”

The Assistant

Ismo Sipeläinen found an assistant surprisingly close to home: Kaisa Laanemäe, who, during Johan Kurkela’s representation season, was a student assistant supporting background work in the kitchen. Laanemäe is the right age, being under 23 in January 2025 when the Lyon competition takes place, and she has the perfect experience and knowledge of what the competition entails.

“Even though I was just a kitchen assistant through school last season, I worked some long days here. We went to France and saw the competition; then I knew I wanted to be in the box,” Laanemäe says. She had followed the competition earlier. She doesn’t describe herself as a fan of the Bocuse d’Or representatives, but she looks up to them.

“My thoughts have evolved along the way. I have known what this whole thing is about since I was with Johan Kurkela and Aino Kasanen from the European competition onwards. There have been no surprises.”

Laanemäe describes Ismo Sipeläinen’s attitude as demanding. “It has to be demanding. In the training kitchen, we must constantly seek new approaches and creative solutions. Therefore, we are accustomed to the fact that if something doesn’t work, it’s being replaced.”

The Coach

Coach Kristian Vuojärvi, a seasoned competitor in various international competitions, emphasizes the importance of being present: “I promised to attend every timing, so I spent 3–4 days a week in the kitchen at the beginning and more towards the end.”

For Vuojärvi, the roles of coach and assistant roles are clear: to provide Ismo with the opportunity to win. “When Kaisa and I do our parts as well as possible, the team has a chance for victory.”

The key has been to allow the candidate to focus on elements that earn points in the competition. Sipeläinen aimed to streamline his activities to concentrate on the core tasks: cooking and presentation. Efficiency is critical, requiring the delegation of tasks.

Each Bocuse d’Or competitor trains extensively. The critical question in this scenario is how many manage to take a break. Vuojärvi seriously advocates for balance. The coach has also ensured that the team establishes a routine. Every day has started the same way as in the competition: eating and drinking the same things, walking the same circle around the house. It needs to become a routine for it to work, and everyone is responsible for that.

Vuojärvi’s goal is for Finland’s kitchen to show they enjoy their cooking. “Even if you’ve trained extensively, if the performance is robotic, clinical, expressionless, it’s not interesting to watch. The atmosphere affects ev-ery-thing; it’s critical. I want it to be evi-dent that cooking is fun,” asserts the coach.

In addition, when the competition is over, the team wants to feel that it performed at its best. The coaching must be on point!