Norway – the country with the most Bocuse d'Or medals

A record haul

Every second year, 24 of the most promising chefs from around the globe gather in Lyon to participate in the world’s most prestigious culinary competition.

Since it was first held in 1987, Norway has won five gold, four silver, and four bronze medals in the international competition. This means that Norway is the country with the most medals in the global competition’s history, even ahead of France.

All of this goes to show the elite level of Norwegian chefs and gastronomy.

In the European Bocuse d'Or competition, Norway has won four gold, two silver and three bronze medals (so far!).

Håvard Werkland and his team competed in Lyon in 2025, after securing bronze on home ground at Bocuse d'Or Europe 2024 in Trondheim. This year, the team's hard work resulted in a special award for the best Theme on a Plate, and a fourth place for Norway.

They wanted to pay homage to Norwegian flavours with their dish which consisted of eagle fish and lobster, accompanied by ingredients including celery root, truffle seaweed, celery and fennel.

Norwegian seafood enjoys a reputation for being world-class and the country's long coastline has been a vital source of food throughout history.

The colder temperatures of the northern climate allow fish and shellfish to grow slower than elsewhere, which also means that the catch stays fresher for longer.

When not competing, Werkland works as assistant head chef at renowned Michelin-starred restaurant, Speilsalen, at Britannia Hotel in Trondheim.

When he was young, Werkland wasn't even sure that he wanted to become a chef and the main passion in his youth was gaming. However, he decided to complete his apprenticeship and quickly discovered that he had made the right choice after all.

A Nordic culinary wave

Werkland, Bendi and Pettersen are only three of a wave of innovative and creative Norwegian master chefs that are leading the culinary revolution underway in the Nordic countries in recent years.

Bent Stiansen was the first Norwegian to win the top prize in 1993. Since then, Norwegian chefs have been represented in as many as 16 of 20 international finals.

There is something exciting cooking in the Nordics now, too – all three 2019 medallists and two of the 2025 medallists are Scandinavian, making it a go-to region for food lovers.

Are you ready to come and taste our delicious and innovative flavours?

World-class cuisine

Many other Norwegian chefs have also gained an excellent international reputation. In addition, an increasing number of Norwegian restaurants have received stars in the Michelin guide in recent years.

And there's more. Norwegian cheeses have been securing plenty of medals at the World Cheese Awards, too.

"Frisky, witty and unpretentious"

Some of the world’s top food writers are now exploring the fresh Norwegian food scene. “Egalitarian and sincere, Norway’s version of New Nordic cooking is frisky, witty and unpretentious,” writes Alexander Lombrano in The New York Times, who even labels it “relatively affordable”.

He writes that the growing appeal of the Norwegian culinary scene “... isn’t best defined by Michelin – where the dominant DNA is Gallic gastronomic refinement – but rather a delectable local food culture that’s based on the country’s spectacular seafood and produce, amped up by the brevity of its growing season.” We heartily agree!