Four elite chefs will compete next month at the Bocuse d’Or Australia 2025, vying for a stunning Golden Knife trophy and the honour of representing their country.
The competition – taking place at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on 18 May as part of Food and Hospitality Week – is not for the faint-hearted. Finalists have five and a half hours to prepare two world-class dishes using mandatory ingredients, one presented to judges on a platter and one on a plate, all in front of a live audience.
At stake for the chefs is a four-year mentoring and career development program, which includes one-on-one-coaching with the nation’s top chefs, training placements in fine dining kitchens, and accompanying Australia’s 2025-7 candidate Paul Golding on his Bocuse d’Or journey. This unique program prepares the chef to head up Team Australia in 2028-9.
Created by iconic French chef Paul Bocuse, the Bocuse d’Or (Gold Bocuse) is known as the world’s most prestigious culinary contest.
National Selections for a chef and a young chef assistant are held every second year in over 60 countries, followed by regional semi-finals in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Teams that qualify battle it out at a Grand Final held at the SIRHA Lyon expo in France.
And the Australian finalists are:
Dayan Hartill-Law – Executive Chef, Home of the Arts (HOTA), Gold Coast QLD
Nicholas Hill – Chef/Owner, Porcine, Paddington NSW
Leela Subramaniam – Sous Chef, Flinders Hotel, Flinders VIC
Princess Anne Uy – Executive Sous Chef, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne VIC.
Each chef will be joined by one of four commis chefs from Victoria University’s culinary school – Liam Beasy, Wiley Major-Kennedy, Kee Ser Mo Chit and Odile Roberts. These talented young chefs will compete for the Best Commis Award, and the honour of assisting Paul Golding at the next Bocuse d’Or Asia Pacific next year.
The Bocuse d’Or Australia Golden Knife 2025 begins at 7.45am on Sunday 18 May, with a livestream beginning after doors open for the Expo at 10am. The contest will be MC’d by renowned chef Adrian Richardson and media personality Donna Demaio in front of a live audience.
Dishes will be assessed by a panel of 10 judges including Bocuse d’Or Australia’s President Scott Pickett and Honorary Life President, Philippe Mouchel. Meanwhile another five judges will monitor chefs in their kitchens throughout the contest.
Philippe, who was mentored by Paul Bocuse himself and has been a driving force behind Team Australia for over 30 years, says participating is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for any chef.
“The Golden Knife is the first step on the road to Lyon, and also a sensational competition in its own right,” he says. “Just to be selected to compete is a great honour for these chefs and commis chefs – we wish them all the best of luck!”