JAN SMINK TAKES PRIZE

Chef Jan Smink has won third prize at the renowned international cooking competition Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire International. The owner of restaurant Smink in Wolvega competed against seven top international chefs in Paris on 28 January 2020 and impressed the international jury with his coquille dish. Winner was the United Kingdom, France finished second.

Top chef Jan Smink (31) took third prize in the final of the renowned Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire International cooking competition in Paris. After an intense day, he had to beat winner the UK and France (second place).

Jan Smink, who previously competed for the Netherlands in the international Bocuse d'Or cooking competition, impressed the judges with his dish with scallop, which was judged to be one of the best dishes of the competition. The dish consisted of various preparations with scallops, including a rouleau of scallops, mushroom, marrow, truffle, hazelnut and ponzu and a side dish with scallops and Jerusalem artichoke. As sauce, Smink made a beurre blanc. Besides the flavour, the judges praised the many techniques he used.

Pithivier

The second dish that the cooks had to make within the four-hour competition time was only revealed the night before. It turned out to be the French classic pithivier, a dense pie made of puff pastry, which Jan filled with vegetables. Jan Smink: "I had never heard of it before and spent from Monday evening until deep into the night thinking about how I would execute it. Making the puff pastry yourself takes a lot of time and puts extra pressure on your performance. In the end, the cake, along with the scallop dish, was good for a podium finish, something I am super proud of."

Struggle of young chefs

Jan Smink competed against chefs aged between 24 and 39 from France, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, the UK, Germany and Sweden, most of whom have extensive experience in Michelin-starred restaurants. His third-place finish wins him a cash prize of 2,500 euros, in addition to Taittinger champagne.

The Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire International cooking competition is an initiative of wine house Champagne Taittinger in memory of founder Pierre Taittinger. This international culinary competition at the very highest level for young chefs was held for the first time in 1967 and organised for the 53rd time in 2020. The chefs are judged by a professional jury of international chefs of stature.

About Jan Smink (second from right)

Chef and entrepreneur Jan Smink worked in the past as sous-chef at Bilderberg Landgoed Lauswolt, among others. As a freelance chef, he can count three-star restaurant De Librije among his clients since 2013.

In September 2018, he opened his restaurant Smink in Wolvega, where he lets his love for Friesland speak on the plate by cooking with mostly Frisian products. His dishes are extra distinctive because some dish components are made with 3D food printers. Restaurant Smink is a member of restaurant association Alliance Gastronomique.

As a competition chef, Jan Smink won many awards at home and abroad and competed for the Netherlands in the international Bocuse d'Or cooking competition on several occasions. In 2020, he came third for the Netherlands in the international cooking competition Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire International.

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