With his team, he fought for the medal spots against 23 other countries.

– There are shared feelings. Unfortunately, it is not enough all the way, Gibrand tells TT.

The Nordic countries dominated the World Chef Championship – Denmark took the gold and Norway took home the bronze. Sweden was in between, and Finland came just outside the podium.

Sebastian Gibrand has been aiming for this competition for the past five years. He has put in many hundreds of hours. Now stumbling across the finish line gives mixed feelings, even though the positives outweigh the negatives for the moment.

– We had incredible faith in our product. Unfortunately, it's not enough all the way, but it's clear that you're a little happy, he says shortly after getting on the podium with his teammates.

Missing two percent
During the competition, Gibrand and his team had 5 hours and 35 minutes to prepare two dishes for 14 people. One dish that all teams had to make was a chartreuse, a traditional French dish with vegetables and seafood that resembles a cake.

In the second course, veal was the main ingredient. There, the Swedish team offered an oven-roasted rack of veal stuffed with veal and duck liver, braised veal short ribs, minced veal breast with lemon thyme, Swedish potatoes cooked in butter, a variety of mushrooms, a tartelette of herbs and artichokes.

The team also included assistant Gustav Leonhardt, Henrik Norström and team manager was Tommy Myllymäki.

– We delivered 98 percent. I wish we could have pushed to the last two percent, but we can't do more than our best, says Gibrand.

What wasn't quite right is hard to say specifically.

– It's the finishing touches that are crucial in the end. It's the last little touch, the last little flake of salt, the presentation.

Sweden has won gold once in Bocuse d'Or, with chef Mathias Dahlgren in 1997.

TT: Doesn't this also give you fuel to continue?

– Yes, absolutely. It's the first thing you feel, that now we're racing again. I love this and am driven by this competition. Hopefully I have the opportunity to stand here again, says Gibrand.

Washing dishes and cleaning
Bocuse d'Or is a French culinary competition. The competition is named after its creator Paul Bocuse, perhaps the world's most famous chef, who died on January 20, 2018.

A total of 24 countries participated. The dishes are judged on taste, technique, presentation, innovation and design, as well as how the team manages to highlight their own country in their dishes.

What happens now for the Swede is not entirely clear.

– I don't actually know, I've only planned until this day. Washing dishes, cleaning and tidying up, that's as far as I've gone in my planning, says Sebastian Gibrand.

Facts: Top 12
1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Norway
4. Finland
5. Switzerland
6. France
7. Japan
8. Belgium
9. United States
10. Great Britain
11. Iceland
12. Hungary
Source: Bocuse d’Or

Source: TT