This post is also available in: Deutsch
Français
Two Luxembourg candidates qualified for the semi-finals of the Cupi’s Spoon international culinary competition for people with disabilities on Friday 24 May.
It was no surprise that the Cupi’s Spoon international culinary competition took place at the inclusive restaurant Madame Witzeg* in Belvaux on Friday 24 May 2024. The aim was to qualify for the semi-finals, to be held in Cyprus in the autumn. On the day, two categories were selected: cuisine and cocktails.
Some forty countries represented
Silvija and Vedran Habel, who have travelled from Croatia to some forty European countries in search of competitors, have been organising a different kind of culinary competition since last year, aimed at all adults with disabilities.
On the spot, however, the candidates didn’t really turn up: ‘We did send the message to all the establishments that could have been involved in this competition,’ sighs Steven Kukawka, one of the managers of the inclusive restaurant Madame Witzeg. ‘Unfortunately, no-one turned up… on a Friday at 4pm, which may not be easy for everyone,’ he laments.
![](https://u3t7s5p3.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IMG_9377-2web-768x1024.jpg.webp)
![](https://u3t7s5p3.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IMG_9430web.jpg.webp)
![](https://u3t7s5p3.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/EDOweb-790x1024.jpg.webp)
Last year’s silver medallist from Luxembourg
No matter, Mireille Ehr is there. The chef at Madame Witzeg is no stranger to the competition, having finished on the 2nd step of the podium last year (just one point short of gold!). And although she is the only candidate in her category, and therefore guaranteed to be selected, she is nevertheless putting herself under pressure.
After her delicious dish of scampi with two purées, asparagus and lemon emulsion, she went before the jury, made up of restaurant regulars, the head of Gault&Millau Luxembourg and Kachen, explaining: ‘You have to tell me what needs to be changed! Above all, I want to know!’ insists a grateful Kachen, who is blind in one eye and has only 20% vision in the other.
100 cocktails to prepare in the final
Two employees of Madame Witzeg’s are competing in the cocktails category. The discreet Élise Georges and her Hugo and the smiling Edoardo Cassio, who will be concocting a mojito.
‘The preparation is timed, and they have to make their 4 glasses in 10 minutes. But we’ll also be looking to see if they can keep up with the pace of the competition,’ explains Silvija Habel. In the semi-final, they will have to prepare 50 cocktails, and 100 for the final.
In the end, it was Mireille and Élise who won the places for the semi-finals in Cyprus. But Edoardo will be accompanying them on their culinary adventures in the Mediterranean!
* An article on the Madame Witzeg restaurant in Belvaux can be found in your summer issue of KACHEN magazine, out on newsstands on 5 June.