Here's a Recap of the 2025 Stuffed Cabbage World Championship Americas
Jacques Pépin and Daniel Boulud were among the judges seeking cabbage excellence
There are many culinary competitions in the world. They range from every town’s local chili cookoff to televised competitions for big money to the famed Bocuse d'Or. The entire field lends itself to the drama of a competition — knives, fire, and egos, after all, are the tools of a great chef.
Of all these competitions, the most unique might just be the Stuffed Cabbage World Championships. The Championships is an international competition with regional heats held in seven global culinary hubs: France, the Americas, Japan, Europe, Asia Pacific, China, and Korea. Finalists from each region gather in Limoges, France, to compete for the global title and a gorgeous porcelain trophy in the shape of (you guessed it) a cabbage.
The competition is sanctioned by the Stuffed Cabbage Association, co-founded by French porcelain company Bernardaud, to showcase the expertise of cooks and raise awareness of traditional charcuterie specialities since 2014.
The 2025 Stuffed Cabbage World Championship Americas competition was held earlier this week at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, with two of the top names in culinary achievement helming the judges’ table. Jacques Pépin and Daniel Boulud were joined by chef Buddha Lo, chef Clare de Boer, Padma Lakshmi, Tamar Adlar, Nilou Motamed, Peter Som and more.
Competing chefs came from all over the Americas, with chefs from the U.S.A., St. Lucia, and Canada competing. including Charly Pierre, Owner and Head Chef, Fritai, New Orleans; Kevin Dirson, Executive Chef, Artisan by Jacques Chretien, Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia; Andrew Singer, Chef at Charleston Place Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina; Christopher Fenimore, Sous-chef at The Ridge, Basking Ridge, New Jersey; Gabe Erales, Chef and Partner, Ometeo, Tysons, Virginia; Dale Mackay, Chef and Owner, Little Grouse on the Prairie, Saskatoon, Canada; and Pape Thiam, Executive Sous Chef, La Tête d'Or by Daniel Boulud, New York.
Each chef was challenged to prepare a hot stuffed cabbage dish (that must be sauced) through the lens of their own culinary heritage. Dishes were evaluated across five core criteria: respect for tradition, creativity, technical execution, presentation, and taste.
"By celebrating stuffed cabbage, we celebrate what unites us all: the spirit of conviviality, the art of gastronomy, and the joy of sharing timeless traditions around the world,” said Charles Bernardaud, Director of Bernardaud.
According to a first-hand report by judge Clare de Boer on her Substack, deliberation took more than four hours and as many glasses of wine to choose the winner. In the end, everything came down to a simple truth about food, in her words. “Simple wins. The criticism I gave and heard most—even from the multi-Michelin critics, and in the face of virtuoso reductions—was that there was too much going on. We all voted for more cabbage and less fuss.”
After a tense competition, Dale Mackay was declared the winner for his harvest cabbage stuffed with foie, apple, and pork.
Mackay will represent the Americas this fall at the world finals in Limoges. May he bring home the cabbage, so to speak.