From September 12 to 13, in Marrakech, under the high patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI, an exceptional culinary tournament took place: The Bocuse d’Or Africa. Ibrahima Dia, head chef of the Arcambal restaurant Les Aromates and his coach, chef Dominique Campergue, cooking teacher at the Lot trades and crafts center (formerly the Lot trades school) as well as Youssoupha Diémé, president of the Bocuses d’Or Senegal and Samuel Gez, apprentice at the training center, were part of the adventure.
This prestigious competition was organized as part of the Official Tournament of African Chefs (TOC Africa). It brought together eight teams representing Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Tunisia. Ibrahima Dia competed for Senegal.
The competitors had to take on two challenges. The first, whose theme was “on a tray”, consisted of sublimating a roast beef sirloin and sweetbreads. The meats had to be accompanied by three vegetable garnishes, one of which had to come from the candidate’s country of origin. The second challenge was to design a complete menu around the carrot. The Moroccan team came first, Mauritius second and Egypt third. The Lotois team Dia-Campergues-Gez (the commis) was awarded the prize for the best menu. This is a great reward because the dishes had to be prepared within a limited time and for a pre-established number of guests.
