Pasta ban
Ruggieri will be trained hard to beat his foreign contenders.
Assisted by his commis chef and personal coach, he'll prepare the same dish -- which is yet to be chosen -- an infinite number of times over until he reaches perfection in just 5.35 hours, as the Bocuse d'Or rules state.
One thing is sure, he'll never get to cook his beloved ear-shaped orecchiette pasta with turnip greens, despite it being his favorite recipe.
Pasta has been banned because it does not have the status to compete at global levels as opposed to meat, fish or vegetarian recipes.
"I had to choose a local product and being in Piedmont, renowned for its gorgeous rice fields, I picked Carnaroli rice", says Crippa.
Also, a common ground is needed to compete with other countries. World jury members coming from Japan and Norway have no pasta culture, explains the chef.
The goal is to show that Italy is not just pizza and lasagne, but elite food that is able to blend creativity and technique, giving tradition a twist of innovation.