MILAN — The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition Grand Finale will be held in Milan on October 4-5, 2023.
Between September 2022 and January 2023, a total of 165 young chefs from around the world took part in the highly competitive regional finals. A local jury of renowned chefs judged the live cooking competitions in 15 different regions. The regional winners and their mentors include:
- Erick Alfredo Bautista Chacon, mentored by Lula Martin Del Campo (Latin America & Caribbean)
- Raul Garcia, mentored by Stefan Heilemann (West Europe)
- Anton Lebersorger, mentored by Daniel Gottschlich (Central Europe)
- Marcus Clayton, mentored by Lisa Goodwin-Allen (U.K.)
- Robin Wagner, mentored by Peter Gilmore (Pacific)
- Pierre-Olivier Pelletier, mentored by Suzanne Barr (Canada)
- Jet Loos, mentored by Dick Middelweerd (North Europe)
- Daniel Garwood, mentored by Nina Compton (U.S.)
- Yi Zhang, mentored by Stefano Bacchelli (Mainland China)
- Ian Goh, mentored by Dave Pynt (Asia)
- Grigoris Kikis, mentored by Georgianna Hiliadaki (South East Europe & Mediterranean)
- Nelson Freitas, mentored by Filipe Carvalho (Iberian Countries)
- Mythrayie Iyer, mentored by Johnson Ebenezer (Africa, Middle East & South Asia)
- Michele Antonelli, mentored by Andrea Aprea (Italy)
- Camille Saint-M’Leux, mentored by Christophe Bacquié (France)
Those competing for the grand prize will have the opportunity to cook their signature dishes again in front of a grand jury composed of seven giants of international gastronomy: Eneko Atxa, Riccardo Camanini, Hélène Darroze, Vicky Lau, Pía León, Julien Royer and Nancy Silverton. The jurors will evaluate the finalists based on three golden rules: technical ability, creativity and personal belief, and the candidates’ potential to create positive change in society through food. On their way to the grand finale, the young chefs will continue to work closely with their respective mentors to perfect their recipes.
“We launched the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition in 2015 to nurture the future of gastronomy by discovering young talents from all over the world,” says Stefano Bolognese, San Pellegrino International Business unit director. “The number of applicants for this fifth edition alone – more than 4,000 globally – has confirmed the value of the project. The competition is also a pathway to the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, a global community of more than 2,000 talented chefs, with the aim to engage chefs through a series of activities designed to inspire, connect and educate. The Grand Finale, held in October, is a final step and a key moment in our discovery process. San Pellegrino International Business wishes good luck to all the finalists.”
