Charles Tjessem (born 5 May 1971, in Sandnes) is a Norwegian chef, and winner of the 2003 Bocuse d'Or.[1] [2] The victory was achieved over the French chef Frank Putelat by the smallest margin of points to date in the competition.[1]
Tjessem is currently a chef and owner of the restaurant Charles & De in Sandnes. He was coached for the Bocuse d'Or by Odd Ivar Solvold,[3] [4] and had previously trained under Bent Stiansen, and Eyvind Hellstrøm during two years at Bagatelle, worked as a daily manager for Gastronomisk Institutt in Stavanger, as a chef for the petroleum company Statoil, and was captain of the Norwegian national chef team in the period 2000 to 2004.[5] Tjessem ended his competitive career with parting criticism aimed at the arrangers of the International Exhibition of Culinary Art.[6]
Tjessem published the book Rett skal være rett in 2006.