The Bocuse d'Or is the world’s most prestigious culinary contest
- Named after the groundbreaking French chef Paul Bocuse, the Bocuse d’Or is a biennial world chef championship that has been running since 1987.
- Frequently referred to as the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games, the event is the world’s most prestigious cooking competition, where preparation and cooking of all dishes is performed in front of a live audience.
- The Bocuse d’Or now includes over 60 national selections and four continental selections over two years, involving a global community of chefs, with the Grand Finale always taking place at the SIRHA Lyon food and hospitality expo.
- Australian chefs who have previously represented Australia at the Bocuse d’Or include the likes of George Calombaris, Tom Milligan, Joseph Vargetto, Scott Pickett, Shannon Kellam, Dan Arnold, Michael Cole and Alex McIntosh.
What's Happening
Meet Chef Paul Golding, Candidate Bocuse d'Or Australia
Paul Golding
Head Chef, Barn & Co.
Paul Golding stood out as a talented chef right from his early days as an apprentice in Melbourne, when he was named Holmesglen TAFE’s Apprentice of the Year for two years in a row.
During this time he also won prizes at the Daryl Cox Competition for young chefs and at the Culinary Pro Am held at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Since then Paul has held Sous Chef and Head Chef roles at some of Melbourne’s most prestigious sporting clubs including Melbourne Racing Club, Woodlands Golf Club and Huntingdale Golf Club. He also assisted Steak Maestro’s Chris Wade and Simmer Culinary’s Andrew Ballard at major food events in Victoria and overseas, and was Head Chef at Snooks Catering on the Mornington Peninsula and at the City of Casey’s Bunjil Place.
Now Head Chef at winery restaurant Barn & Co on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Paul Golding won the Bocuse d’Or Golden Knife in 2023 and is Australia’s next competitor for the Bocuse d’Or Asia Pacific 2026.