The reigning Olympic champion in the category National Teams is Norway. Photo: IKA/Culinary Olympics
One year from today, the 26th IKA/Culinary Olympics will start in Stuttgart. Preparations are underway – both by the organizers and by the teams and chefs around the world.
The countdown is on, the anticipation is rising: Exactly one year from today, from February 2 to 7, 2024 and parallel to the Intergastra trade fair, the culinary world will once again be a guest in Stuttgart. Then international teams and individual exhibitors will compete for medals and top-class rankings at the IKA/Culinary Olympics with plenty of “Power of the White Jacket”, creative artwork and culinary inspiration. “As the organizer of the event, the German Chefs Association (VKD) provides talented chefs with a stage and the opportunity to showcase their potential,” says VKD President Daniel Schade. “The participants keep creating new trends on the plates and the atmosphere of the cooking spectacle will be remembered by teams and guests for a long time.” In 2024, with the Messe Stuttgart and the Dehoga Baden-Württemberg, the VKD will once again have strong partners at its side for the organization of the IKA. “The very successful kick-off in 2020 has clearly shown: The IKA/Culinary Olympics and Intergastra in Stuttgart are a perfect match,” says Fritz Engelhardt, Chairman of the Hotel and Restaurant Association Dehoga Baden-Wuerttemberg. “As the conceptual sponsor of Intergastra, we are full of anticipation for IKA 2024. This top international event is a great and important addition to our successful trade fair.” In this regard, the numbers speak for themselves. “In 2020, more than 100,000 visitors from the hospitality industry already took advantage of the opportunity to look over the shoulders of colleagues from all over the world in the competition and learn from each other during their visit to the trade fair,” says Stefan Lohnert, Managing Director of Messe Stuttgart. “We want to build on this success and, together with VKD as the organizer of IKA and Dehoga as the conceptual sponsor of Intergastra, raise the two major events to the next level.”
Highlights in the schedule
While the 26th edition of the mega-event is approaching, dozens of teams and individual chefs worldwide are already preparing for their IKA attendance. They want to be part of it when the the world’s best are selected at the Messe Stuttgart in twelve months’ time. Pre-registration for participation is possible since mid-January, with official registration opening in mid-February. The Conditions of Participation have already been published on the IKA website. The most important milestone for the national teams on their way to Stuttgart is the draw for the competition days on May 16, 2023, which will determine the contest calendar on site. Via livestream, the participants of the IKA as well as all interested parties can be there virtually.
“Faces” of the IKA 2024 now online
And this is new: The “IKA Faces Wall” is now live at www.culinary-olympics.com/faces. For the first time anyone worldwide can support the event and thus proudly show themselves with a portrait on the digital faces wall. The campaign has been running since last fall and is open for many more faces from all over the world until January 2024. And it’s that simple: Together with an amount starting at 12 euros, interested parties send a portrait photo or selfie of themselves, which will appear online in the run-up to IKA 2024 as well as on site in Stuttgart during the event on the “IKA Faces Wall” together with their name.
Capturing Olympic moments
The social media channels of the IKA/Culinary Olympics are also “warming up” and will be in top form by February 2024. Already, announcements and information about the world’s largest, oldest and most colorful cooking competition can be found on Facebook and Instagram. Those who follow the channels will not miss anything in the future. Daily new impressions and up-to-the-minute happenings await #IKA2024 followers during the event.
IKA 2024 at a glance
26th IKA/Culinary Olympics
February 2 to 7, 2024
Messe Stuttgart, Germany
The German Chefs Association (VKD) is the organizer of the IKA/Culinary Olympics and hosts the competition. Messe Stuttgart is the organizer of the fair Intergastra and handles all matters of organization and infrastructure as part of the event. The Dehoga Baden-Wuerttemberg supports the organization of the training kitchens and accommodation of the competitors.
Cooking talents with a special passion for competition will meet at the IKA. The great culinary showdown is divided into these categories:
- National Teams
- Junior National Teams
- Regional Teams
- Community Catering Teams
- Individual Exhibitors and Live Carvers
