STUTTGART, Germany — The 26th IKA/Culinary Olympics, organized for the second time by the German Chefs Association (VKD), was held earlier this month at the ICS International Congress Centre in Stuttgart, Germany. More than 1,200 participants, including 88 teams and more than 520 individual exhibitors from 55 countries, were drawn to the event. A total of 17 professional kitchens were set up, with more than 7,000 menus cooked over the four-day event, from elaborate seven-course dinners for 14 people to high-quality, three-course menus for 120 people.
The Canadian National Culinary team/Senior Team Canada (out of Ontario) brought home one gold and one silver, placing sixth overall on the world stage. Junior Team Canada (based in Vancouver) brought home two silver, placing eighth in the Junior categories. Lastly, Culinary Team NAIT (Alberta) won one silver and earned a top-10 spot in Community Catering.
In the National Team category, Finland ultimately won the competition and took home “Olympic” gold, impressing the jury with its precision and artistic craftsmanship. The team from Switzerland followed close behind in second place, winning the silver medal for their outstanding performance, and bronze went to Iceland. The German National Team achieved ninth place in the overall ranking.
As in 2020, Sweden won gold in the Junior National team category, defending its Olympic title. Norway took second place with silver, and Denmark took third place with bronze. The German Junior National Team came fifth.
In the Community Catering category, the Compass Group Culinary Team Finland and the Swiss Armed Forces Culinary Team/SACT were rated equal on points by the jury to three decimal places, sharing first place and both receiving gold. The Norway Community Catering Team followed in third place with the bronze medal. In the Live Carvers category, An Xuan Li (Taiwan) and Tereza Buchtova (Czech Republic) shared first place, and Kuan Ju Li (Taiwan) took the bronze medal.
“The atmosphere was captivating from start to finish,” says Daniel Schade, president of VKD. “We received great feedback from the chefs, fans and guests, we’re proud of that. As the organizer of the IKA, the German Chefs’ Association (VKD) congratulates the winners of the Culinary Olympics. All of the participants put fantastic performances on the plates and showed what true culinary artistry looks like. We’re already looking forward to returning in 2028 for the 27th IKA/Culinary Olympics – again in Stuttgart and alongside Intergastra.”
