Ismo Sipeläinen achieved a top result at the World Chefs' Championships - proper chef's clothing supports success

Ismo Sipeläinen came in fourth place, the best result in Finnish history, at the prestigious Bocuse d'Or competition in Lyon, France. The team brought back a truckload of ingredients and kitchen equipment from Finland – and stylish Medanta chef's clothing.

Finnish top chef Ismo Sipeläinen and his assistant Johan Kurkela were awarded the best meat platter at the prestigious Bocuse d'Or finals of the world chefs' championship.

The Finnish team placed fourth in the competition held in Lyon, France: the best finish in Finland's history. The world's most demanding cooking competition was a celebration of the Nordic countries, as Denmark, Sweden and Norway took the top three.

Ismo Sipeläinen says that everything went according to the script in the finale, which lasted almost six hours.

"Everything went as I had planned and in some places even better. At least I haven't found any fault yet, that something went wrong. Nothing was raw or overcooked."

Although the podium was not reached, the chef is very pleased with his team's success.

"It was a tough performance, there's no denying that. Even though it would have been tougher to be one place higher, my personal goals were still met. Overall, the Turin competition in the summer of 2018 and the Lyon final were Finland's toughest performance in the competition. That was my goal: to achieve the best Finnish result."

Medanta's clothing works even in tight situations

Ismo Sipeläinen's journey to the Bocuse d'Or final was a demanding and intensive year and a half. The talent, who previously worked at top restaurants Olo and Finnjäveli, focused almost entirely on honing his competition performance.

The Finnish team was coached by Michelin-starred restaurateur and chef Tommi Tuominen . Before the Bocuse d'Or competition, Sipeläinen and Kurkela had almost twenty full 5 hours and 35 minutes of training behind them – that's the time given to competitors in the real world.

Sipeläinen says that when aiming for the top, the effort must be commensurate. He trained for the World Championship in a training kitchen built at the Perho restaurant school, where every step of the process was timed to the nearest second.

Part of the success is high-quality, stylish and functional chef clothing. Sipeläinen and Kurkela trained in Medanta clothing throughout their representation period. When you sweat in the kitchen for hours without a break, the cut and quality of the clothing are essential factors.

"It is important that the chef's jacket is soft, light to wear and that it fits well. A poorly fitting garment interferes with work, and that is especially not an option in a competitive situation. It is desirable that if you bend over, the jacket does not immediately fly up from under the apron. Medanta's clothing holds its shape even after several washes."

The cheerleading squad inspired them to top performance

Ismo Sipeläinen says that the event held in Lyon was an amazing experience – although he doesn't remember much about the competition performance himself.

“The atmosphere in the competition hall was incredible, with flags and banners flying. There was a great crowd of supporters from Finland supporting us. Our team has amazing partners. It was great that the Medanta team and many others came to cheer us on in Lyon. Cooking in front of 3,000 people made me feel surprisingly small at times.”

Sipeläinen laughs that he was so exhausted after his intense competition that he was left with a six-hour blackout as a "memory" of the competition day.

"I was in my own world during the performance, which is also a good thing in a way, because you have to focus fully on each step. I was able to close my ears to the noise."

Sipeläinen says that just traveling to France was an effort, which emphasized the importance of the partners. Raw materials and kitchen supplies left Helsinki by the truckload. The only things on site were the refrigerated drawers, oven, stoves, and meat from the butcher's shop.

“We brought everything else from Finland. For example, the meat platter was designed by design students at Aalto University. In the final, we cooked in Medanta's black trousers and shoes, while the chef's coats, aprons and hats came from the competition organization.”

Stylish chef clothes enhance the atmosphere

Outside the competition kitchen, Sipeläinen and Kurkela wore Medanta clothing from head to toe throughout the Bocuse d'Or journey, including white chef's coats and aprons.

According to Sipeläinen, uniform and stylish clothing not only looks stylish, but also is an important way to enhance the mood.

"My personal clothing style might be a bit like, as long as I'm wearing something - I'm not necessarily that fashion conscious. But in the kitchen, I start from the principle that cleanliness is half the battle. It looks better to have straight trousers and an ironed jacket and everything in tip top condition than to have everyone wearing a few tattered pieces of clothing here and there."

Sipeläinen's absolute favorite outfit is a white, short-sleeved chef's jacket, a white apron, black pants and black shoes.

“I don’t like long sleeves. You have to roll up your sleeves anyway, but with a short-sleeved jacket you don’t have to do that every single day. All the clothes I’ve worn from Medanta have been really comfortable, breathable and good-looking. The antibacterial properties are a great addition.”

Now that the World Cup grind is over, Ismo Sipeläinen plans to take a moment to breathe and collect his thoughts.

"I focused so intently on this one thing for over a year that everything else has been left behind. We still have thank-you coffees for our Bocuse d'Or partners, but otherwise my calendar is empty. Where we're going next, I can't say anything yet."