Tereza Buchtová carved her way to first place at the IKA/Culinary Olympics.
We spoke to some of the participating chefs about their experiences at the IKA/Culinary Olympics 2024. This time, Live Carver Tereza Buchtová from the Czech Republic speaks about how she prepared for the competition and what she took home from the IKA – except from the golden medal.
Interview Anna Häuser Photos IKA/Culinary Olympics
Tereza, you were the best in the Live Carver category. How did you feel when you went home from the IKA 2024?
I felt very happy and surprised at the same time. I never expected that it could turn out like this. The atmosphere was amazing and I took home not only gold medals, but many beautiful meetings with friends.
You took home the victory from the IKA – and a golden toque statue from RAK. Where is the toque now?
I have the golden cup on a shelf at home and I look at it every day, remembering what the Olympics were like and the people I was able to meet. Family, most of my friends and other people have already seen the cup and admired it very much.
What did taking part in the IKA mean to you?
I saw participation in the IKA as my next great experience. Those were stressful days for me, but I knew that no matter how it turned out, I would enjoy it to the fullest. I appreciated the people I was able to meet and get to know. I gained a lot of inspiration; I learned what I need to improve on and most of all I realized that even a person with a certain handicap can go very far.
How did you prepare for the competition?
Preparation for the Olympics was very demanding. I took part in a course that helped me improve some cuts. At home, I trained on raw materials such as mangoes, apples, zucchini, potatoes or Hokkaido. I drew plans with sections that I wanted to use for the composition. I tried to invent and assemble the structure so that it would be interesting, stable, and the carved fruits and vegetables would stand firmly on it.
Thank you!
