‘Harder than winning a Michelin star’: Mathew Leong goes for gold at Bocuse d’Or this weekend 

LYON, France – Singaporean chef Mathew Leong is ready to take his second shot at history. If everything goes his way, he could end up as the first and youngest Singaporean – or Asian, for that matter – chef to clinch top honours at the Bocuse d’Or, the cooking contest widely regarded as the culinary Olympics. 

A medal of any colour would be historic. The Republic has not ascended the podium since William Wai, now healthcare corporate chef at ground handler and in-flight caterer Sats, secured bronze in 1989.

Together with Japan’s Noriyuki Hamada’s third-place finish in 2013, it remains the best showing of any Asian country in the biennial competition. Its final takes place on Jan 26 and 27 in the French city of Lyon. 

All Leong needs to do is cook two exquisite dishes in under 5½ hours, impress a tasting panel of 24 top jurors and beat 23 other world-class chefs. 

Is he nervous? “No,” comes the response without missing a beat. 

The 30-year-old has spent years preparing for this moment, even stopping work two months ago at three Michelin-starred restaurant Re-Naa in Stavanger, Norway, where he is executive chef, to focus full time on training for the competition. In recent weeks, he has operated on a gruelling 7 to 2am schedule, with no days off in between. 

But far from feeling the heat, he relishes it all – the discipline, the non-stop schedule, even the stress. 

“The more stressed you get, the better you will be. I love this kind of thing. Every day, you come to work, you know exactly what you’re doing. With the whole team so dedicated, it motivates you to come for training. I’m really going to miss this after the Bocuse d’Or ends.” 

The “whole team” includes the superstar squad that has rallied behind him: veteran French chef and Bocuse d’Or Singapore Academy president Bruno Menard; team coach and co-chair Julien Royer of three Michelin-starred Odette; and chef-mentors Jimmy Chok, a private chef who occasionally provides consultancy services, Beppe de Vito of Il Lido Group and Christophe Lerouy of the eponymous one Michelin-starred restaurant. Norwegian chef Synva Knapstad Gjerde will assist him as his commis.

After months of refining timing and recipes – as of two weeks ago, the team was still trying to iron out what seasoning to use – they are feeling good about his chances. 

“We’ve progressed a lot. Mathew has been training very hard in the last couple of months, perfecting every single technique and the step-by-step process of every recipe. The fact that he participated four years ago will definitely help him go in with a bit of knowledge about what and what not to do,” says Royer.  

Leong managed a 12th-place finish in his last outing in 2021. It was a respectable showing – Singapore’s best since Wai’s bronze – but not good enough for him. 

“The last time I did this, I said I wouldn’t be back. But when I finished 12th, I said, you know what, I’m going to compete again,” Leong says. 

This time, he is no longer competing as the underdog. He finished second in the Asia-Pacific selections in Shenzhen, China, in September 2024 and is the first and only Singaporean to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe List under the arts and culture category.

“Pressure? No, no. But I’d rather go there as the underdog to surprise the jury. This just raises expectations.” 

Mentally, he is fine – he has even stopped working with his mental health coach because he “does not need the help”. The bigger challenge now comes from the theme of the competition.

This year, participants have to prepare a platter comprising venison, foie gras and tea. The venison shoulder has to be wrapped in a crispy pastry, and the foie gras visible when cut. 

Leong’s exasperation is palpable. “You need to make it tasty, you need to make it look good, and you need to cut it in 16 pieces. I’ve made so many pies. When cut in half, beautiful. Cut it in four, beautiful. Then I cut it into six. It collapses.” 

He also has to curate a plate of celery (“Disgusting. How do we make it taste delicious?”), stone bass (“Who has the budget to import this?”) and lobster.

Each dish will combine his Nordic technique and Singaporean roots – in the form of kaffir lime, lemongrass and other ingredients commonly used in local cooking. “I’m the last one to send in my food, so I need to make something surprising with stronger seasoning.” 

But key ingredients do not come cheap, and each training session can cost up to €1,000 (S$1,408). His team has been trying to raise a million dollars to fund his dream, though they are still short of their target – by how much exactly they declined to say. 

Nonetheless, Menard is emphatic that it is enough for Leong to put his best foot forward: “I believe we will make it.” 

He adds: “Winning would put Mathew on the map. The winners have sponsors to do things, and people will recognise him as one of the best chefs on the planet.”

Leong says: “To win the Bocuse d’Or, for me, it’s a big thing. It’s harder than winning a Michelin star. If I make it to the podium, I hope I can inspire more people. My goal is to inspire more Asian countries to compete.”  

“If I can make it, I believe anyone else can.”