On Tuesday, the culinary team from the United States placed second out of 24 teams in the biennial Bocuse d’Or international culinary competition in Lyon, France. It’s the first time the Americans have earned a medal. Their highest finish had been sixth place.

The Bocuse d’Or is a worldwide contest founded by the French chef Paul Bocuse in 1987. It’s often called the culinary Olympics.

The winner this year was Norway, which had placed first five times before. Sweden came in third. Scandinavian teams have often won medals in the contest.

In 2008, to improve the United States’ chances in the contest, a foundation was created to raise money and support an American team. Called the Ment’or BKB Foundation, it is run by the chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jérôme Bocuse, the son of Paul Bocuse, who runs French restaurants at Epcot at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla. Five other chefs are on the board of directors. Their effort has finally paid off. Unlike the teams from many other countries, the Americans receive no government funding.