ɫɫ

News

Victorious Bocuse d'Or platter for Team Finland designed by Aalto students

Aalto University MA students Jinghua Zeng and Niko Mankinen designed Team Finland's platter for Bocuse d’Or, an international gastronomic competition.


Kuva: Kim Öhman

The Bocuse d’Or, final was held 29.-30.1. in Lyon France and Team Finland's platter was chosen as the best among the 24 finalist teams, whereas Team Finland was fourth in the competition.

Team Finland’s this year’s theme was “Survivors of the ice age”, which was the starting point for the platter design. The colours, materials and atmosphere – charred wood and frozen twigs rising from the endless dunes of snow.

”We didn’t only try to go along the theme, we try to get in it. Burnt wood at a campsite, snow formations on the frozen open created by wind, first buds of plants we thought were dead and so on. All this we kept in mind in every step of decision making, along with the requirements set by the food and usability”, students describe. Zeng is a student in Product and Spatial Design and Mankinen in Contemporary Design Programme.

Bottom of the platter is ash which is holding a glass. The small flowers on the edge are 3D prints and the platform under the meat plate is cast aluminium. The branch components, meat plate and the ring surrounding it are chromed steel.

Design work started last September with ceramist, designer Pekka Paikkari in design team lead and in collaboration with chef Ismo Sipeläinen and assistant Johan Kurkela. The platter was constructed at Aalto University workshops in Otaniemi. Design work was commissioned by ELO Foundation which is administrating the Bocuse d’Or activities in Finland.

For further information:

Student, designer Niko Mankinen, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, niko.mankinen@aalto.fi

Student, designer Jinghua Zeng, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, jinghua.zeng@aalto.fi

  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!

Read more news

Two students and a professor sitting around a table, talking and looking at laptop screen.
Research & Art, Studies Published:

Call for doctoral student tutors, September 2025

Sign-up to be a tutor for new doctoral students as part of the Aalto Doctoral Orientation Days!
Abstract image of glowing teal shapes and pink blocks on a striped yellow and green surface, with a dark background.
Research & Art Published:

Researchers turn energy loss into a way of creating lossless photonics-based devices

Turning energy loss from a fatal flaw into a dial for fine-tuning new states of matter into existence could yield better laser, quantum and optical technology.
ARTEFAKTI exhibition - photo: Lauriina Markkula
Cooperation, Studies Published:

ARTEFAKTI24

The second iteration of ARTEFAKTI, the graduation exhibition of Contemporary Design MA programme.
Two people wearing headphones sit at a desk with a large screen in a dimly lit office.
Cooperation, University Published:

Unite! Networking Hub Launches: Exchange best practices and learn from peers across Europe

The Unite! Networking Hub is an online space for Unite! faculty and staff to meet to connect and engage with colleagues in the same field of expertise, share and discover best practices, and support one another in addressing work-related challenges.