Chef Balfegó: Julio Pizarro represents Germany

MUNICH: Julio Pizarro, head chef at Pizarro Fine Dining, Groß-Gerau, has won the German preliminary round of the prestigious "Chef Balfegó 2024" cookery competition. With his impressive tuna creation, he impressed the high-calibre jury consisting of The Duc Ngo (Le Duc, Berlin), Tohru Nakamura (Tohru in der Schreiberei**, Munich) and Christian Sturm-Willms (Yunico*, Bonn). Julio Pizarro will represent Germany in the international final on 28 October 2024 at the Teatro CaixaBank Principe Pio in Madrid, where he will have to compete against the best chefs from Spain, Portugal, Italy and Benelux.

Six top chefs in the competition

On 14 October 2024, six of the best German chefs gathered at Bavarie by Käfer in Munich to compete against each other in the German final of "Chef Balfegó". The finalists had just one hour to create an exceptional dish using the high-quality Balfegó bluefin tuna, demonstrating both culinary creativity and technical precision. The six finalists in the competition were:

• Marvin Böhm (sous chef, Aqua***, Wolfsburg)
• Maximilian Hühnergarth (sous chef, Barra, Berlin)
• Julio Pizarro (Head Chef, Pizarro Fine Dining, Groß-Gerau)
• Josef Weig (Head Chef, Storstad*, Regensburg)
• Jay Lee (Head Chef, Junsui, Meerbusch)
• Sascha Kurgan (Head Chef, Skykitchen*, Berlin)

Tuna as the star of the creations

The finalists presented their unique creations to the jury, with the exquisite Balfegó bluefin tuna taking centre stage. Each dish reflected the passion and craftsmanship of the chefs, who had to produce precise and creative masterpieces under intense time pressure."Dealing with the nervousness in a competition like this and still showing what you've come up with is a real challenge," says jury member and two-star chef Tohru Nakamur, "You also have to make the Balfegó tuna shine in a way that allows you to show enough kitchen creativity without overpowering the product. You need the right flair for this, and that is a real art."

Jury with the highest standards

The competition jury was made up of three of Germany's most renowned chefs:

• Tohru Nakamura (Tohru in der Schreiberei**, Munich): Known for his unique fusion of Japanese and European cuisine, the two-star chef is a master of flavours and techniques.
• The Duc Ngo (Le Duc, Berlin): A pioneer of modern Asian cuisine in Germany, he is one of the country's most successful multi-cuisine chefs, combining traditional and contemporary flavours.
• Christian Sturm-Willms (Yunico*, Bonn): The "Chef of the Year 2013" impresses with his innovative fusion cuisine and precise craftsmanship.

"The big challenge in this challenge," says The Duc Ngo, "lies in the special flavour of the tuna. Showcasing it in such a way that it fulfils the high expectations of three different jury members is a real task. You could simply serve the tuna as it is, as the product itself is already outstanding. But the difficulty lies in creating a dish that doesn't cover up the tuna, but rather emphasises it even more. And one of the candidates was particularly successful in doing this."

At the end of the evening, Julio Pizarro came out on top. His dish, consisting of Balfegó Bluefin Charcoal with Leche de Tigre, left a lasting impression on the jury. He presented himself and his restaurant Pizarro Fine Dining with his dish. He incorporated the tuna from Spanish producer Balfegó into his Peruvian ceviche, a typical Nikkei dish. Christian Sturm-Willms commented: "The challenge of delivering a top performance in a foreign kitchen under time pressure is great. It's not easy to focus specifically on the Balfegó bluefin tuna product, to think about how you can convince the jury and what message you want to convey with your dish."

The road to Madrid

Julio Pizarro will now represent Germany at the international final of "Chef Balfegó", which will take place on 28 October 2024 at the renowned Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Madrid. There, he will compete against the national representatives from Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Benelux countries to win the title of "Chef Balfegó 2024". The winner will not only win fame and honour, but also prizes worth €20,000, including an exclusive trip to Japan and high-quality Japanese fish knives.

An exceptional event for trade visitors The finale was rounded off with a breathtaking "Kaitai Show", in which a Balfegó bluefin tuna was carved by a master. The subsequent cocktail dinner at Bavarie by Käfer offered guests culinary highlights centred around the Balfegó tuna and was a worthy conclusion to an unforgettable evening. In addition to the invited press and influencers, over 150 guests from the catering industry were also in attendance.