At Upscale, excellence is a discipline. It grows from vision, precision, and the courage to recognize greatness early. So when we became the official sponsor of Bocuse d’Or Team Vietnam, we acted on a conviction: that Vietnamese culinary artistry deserves its place on the world’s most revered stage, the Bocuse d’Or, celebrated across the globe as the “Culinary Olympics.”
Months later, that conviction became history. Team Vietnam won the Bocuse d’Or Asia-Pacific selection and, for the first time, earned its place at the Grand Final in Lyon, France. This is the story of that remarkable journey, and of why the very standards that carried Chef Vu Xuan Truong to the world stage are engineered into every Upscale kitchen.
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The journey began where extraordinary things so often do at Upscale, inside our Customer Experience Zone at Galleria, The Metropole in Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City, where 25 of Vietnam’s most accomplished chefs gathered in a rare show of unity behind the team.
Chef Vu Xuan Truong and his commis opened the evening with a breathtaking demonstration, composed live on the Velacucina, the first invisible induction solution in Southeast Asia. Their creation, a lamb loin stuffed with caramelized onion and pistachio, wrapped in spinach mousse and tramezzini bread, was crafted to the exacting standards of Bocuse d’Or judging. It revealed two forms of mastery at once: the artistry of the chefs, and the precision engineering behind Upscale’s premium kitchen appliances.
Chef Sakal Phoeung, President of Bocuse d’Or Vietnam, offered a heartfelt endorsement:
“We chose Chef Truong for his unwavering dedication and professionalism, which truly embody the spirit of our culinary heritage.”
And Chef Truong’s words to the nation set the tone for everything that followed:
“As I prepare to compete on this global stage, I bring with me the essence of Vietnamese cuisine, resilient, vibrant, and inherently communal. Let us show the world the depth of our culinary heritage and the warmth of our people.”
In October 2024, Chef Truong and Team Vietnam made history as the first Vietnamese team to win the honor. They took the title at the Bocuse d’Or Asia-Pacific selection.
Their winning creation drew upon one of Vietnam’s founding legends, the tale of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ, the Dragon and the Fairy, a dish that embodies the harmony of land and water at the heart of Vietnamese culture. It was national identity expressed through world-class technique, and it earned the team a coveted place at the Grand Final in Lyon.
On 22 and 23 January 2025, Team Vietnam stepped onto the floor of the Bocuse d’Or Grand Final in Lyon, France, as the first Vietnamese team in history to reach the world final of the competition.
Standing among 23 of the finest culinary nations on earth, they represented Vietnam with pride and poise. France claimed the title, with Denmark and Sweden completing the podium. The milestone itself is the real victory: with this appearance, Vietnam took its place among the global culinary elite for the first time. Upscale is proud to have stood beside the team from the very first day.
“Supporting Team Vietnam at the Bocuse d’Or is both an honor and a reflection of our commitment to culinary innovation and excellence,” said Sami Bou Antoun, CEO of Upscale. “We are immensely proud to have backed a team whose values, precision, creativity, and pride in craft, mirror our own.”
For Upscale, this partnership is a natural expression of the brand’s mission: to bring world-class Italian engineering and design to Vietnamese kitchens, and to champion the artistry that only exceptional tools can unlock. The team’s historic journey is proof of what becomes possible when Vietnamese talent meets uncompromising standards.
Founded in 1987 by the legendary Chef Paul Bocuse, the Bocuse d’Or stands as the pinnacle of global culinary competition, widely revered as the “Culinary Olympics.” Held every two years in Lyon, it challenges the world’s most gifted chefs to create exceptional dishes under intense time and scrutiny, before an elite international panel. More than a test of skill, it rewards innovation, precision, and craftsmanship at the very highest level, the same qualities Upscale builds into every product.
The dishes of the Bocuse d’Or are extraordinary because the standards behind them are uncompromising. The same is true of Upscale’s kitchen appliances.
At our Customer Experience Zone at Galleria, The Metropole, our design consultants guide you through the appliances and layouts that transform an everyday kitchen into a space built for mastery, from the Velacucina invisible induction solutions to fully bespoke configurations.
