MILAN — Jerome Ianmark Calayag, representing the U.K. and Northern Europe Region, has won the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award at the grand finale of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-‘21.
Calayag’s signature dish, humble vegetables, created in partnership with his mentor, David Ljungqvist, impressed the Grand Jury with his choice of ingredients, his skills, plate presentation and the message behind the dish, beating entries from nine other talented chefs from around the world.
The competition is the key activity of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy project, launched last year, with the aim of nurturing the future of gastronomy by discovering young talents and empowering them with a plan of education, mentoring and experience opportunities. In winning this title, Calayag goes down in history alongside previous champion Mark Moriarty (2015), Mitch Lienhard (2016) and Yasuhiro Fujio (2018).
“We’re really proud of the grand finale event that offered us the opportunity to reconnect in person and to see some truly phenomenal culinary talents at work, to create something extraordinary together. So thanks to all of those who joined us from around the world to share the enthusiasm of these three days,” says Stefano Bolognese, international business unit director, S.Pellegrino. “Jerome truly shone in front of our esteemed Grand Jury, and our warmest congratulations go to him, with the wish he will bring his own passion and thinking to the table to help shape the gastronomy of tomorrow. We also want to thank all the young talents, protagonists of this inspiring journey and already members of our S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy: they are the game changers of the future and we wish them the best of luck and a dazzling career. Our search for creative talents doesn’t stop and we can’t wait to announce more details about the next edition of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition.”
