More than 520 Individual Exhibitors and Live Carvers will be competing at the 26th IKA.
In addition to precision, creativity is also required here: in various competitions, the Individual Exhibitors and Live Carvers create real works of art during the IKA/Culinary Olympics.
Text Anna Häuser Photos IKA/Culinary Olympics
Team spirit and international cooperation are very important at the IKA/Culinary Olympics. But individualists are also given a stage at this superlative cooking competition. More than 500 professional chefs from over 50 countries will be competing as solo artists at the 26th IKA in around a month’s time. And “artists” is to be understood literally: In the categories of Individual Exhibitors and Live Carvers, they will create impressive sculptures from vegetables, fruit, butter, chocolate, sugar and much more. In previous years, visitors have been able to marvel at animals, flower tendrils, fantasy creations and well-known TV characters. This is where cuisine meets art, and special dexterity is required for the delicate work. The food artists can compete in seven different competitions.
Competitions
- Individual Classic Fruit and Vegetable Carving (K1)
- Artistic Fruit and Vegetable Carving (K3)
- Culinary Artistic Sculptures (D1)
- Individual Pastry Artistry (D2)
- Individual Culinary Art
- Individual Pastry Art
- Individual Live Artistic Fruit and Vegetable Carving (K5)
A Stage for Culinary Creativity
British chef Terry O’Riordan has been dreaming of taking part in the IKA for 15 years, and now the time has finally come: as an Individual Exhibitor in the “Individual Culinary Art” competition, he wants to convince the jury of his talent. “It’s a special challenge to show details in the food creating innovation but at the same time balancing the menu to impress the judges purely visually,” he says. The task at Individual Culinary Art: to create finger food and a five-course menu that is not tasted but displayed cold. This is also the first IKA participation for Christian Loos from Germany, who is an experienced competitor. “I’m most looking forward to the people I’ll meet at the Culinary Olympics,” says the chef, who is also competing in “Individual Culinary Art”. “They all have a passion for the same thing as well as great talent and knowledge. It’s a chance to make new contacts and show myself on a big global stage.” Camila Fernanda Sanchez Cortes, who is traveling to Stuttgart from Chile to take part, is also hoping for more visibility. “I expect a transparent competition where I can learn a lot and have the opportunity to show Chile as the world has never seen it before,” says the chef.
Carving Art in front of an Audience
While the Individual Exhibitors bring their finished showpieces to the exhibition grounds and simply put the finishing touches to them in the morning, the Live Carvers create their works of art from fruit and vegetables on site in front of judges and visitors. They sharpen their knives and carve their final works within three hours, from 9 am to 12 noon. Around a dozen Live Carvers will be competing on each of the three days, and on the fourth day of the competition, 6 February, the best of them will carve in the finals for victory in this category.
The works of art and sculptures of the Individual Exhibitors and Live Carvers can be admired during the opening hours of Intergastra, which takes place at the same time as IKA, between 10 am and 6 pm in the Foyer of the International Congress Center (ICS) and at the East Entrance (Live Carving). Admission is either with an IKA menu ticket or an Intergastra trade fair ticket.
IKA 2024: Individual Exhibitors and Live Carvers at a Glance
- Competition: seven different ones (see above)
- Event Venue: Foyer ICS (Individual Exhibitors) and Entrance East (Live Carvers)
- Offer: culinary exhibitions
- Visit: between 10 am and 6 pm with IKA menu ticket or trade fair ticket
Overview of teams, menus and how to get there: www.culinary-olympics.com/visitors
Tickets: www.culinary-olympics.com/ticket
