MILAN – After the extraordinary success of the first edition, with over 3,000 applications, the second edition of San Pellegrino Young Chef 2016, the global scouting project that aims to find the best young chef in the world has begun. It is a unique initiative, which divides the globe into 20 areas and involves approximately 100 of the world’s top chefs as jurors, 20 young chef finalists chosen from thousands of participants, 20 mentor chefs and a jury of star chefs, reflecting the commitment of San Pellegrino to support emerging talent. It will be possible to enrol on the website www.finedininglovers.com until 31 March 2016.
New panel of jurors
San Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 will have a new panel of jurors, the Seven Sages who will choose the most talented young chef in the world. The chef Carlo Cracco will join this incredible jury, that for 2016 will be composed of some of the most famous chefs in the world such as David Higgs, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Mauro Colagreco, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack. Among the promising young talents who have already taken part in the competition is the Irish Chef Mark Moriarty, winner of the 2015 edition, who, commenting on his positive experience, said, “I was extremely happy and honoured to be appointed San Pellegrino Young Chef 2015. The journey was unforgettable, a unique experience that I will never forget. I met many great chefs in the process and winning this title has made a huge difference to my career.”
The stages of the competition
San Pellegrino Young Chef is a worldwide competition with multiple phases.
First phase: online registration
From the 1st of January to the 31st of March 2016 all young chefs worldwide can submit their application and his/her dish in English, enrolling on www.finedininglovers.com, the online magazine dedicated to food enthusiasts and proudly supported by Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino. The chef must not be older than 30 and must have worked in a restaurant as a professional, as a chef, sous chef or chef de partie for at least a year. All the criteria will be explained on the website.
Second phase: world selection of regional finalists
All the candidates will be divided according to geographical area of origin. There will be 20 regions. During the month of April ALMA, the leading training centre in the world for Italian cuisine, will select, from the online enrolments, 10 finalists for each region on the basis of five Golden Rules: ingredients, ability, genius, beauty and message.
Third phase: regional finals
The 10 finalists selected within the 20 geographical areas will compete at a local event that will take place between the 1st of May and the 15th of August. Each region will have a jury composed of famous independent chefs or representatives of local contemporary gastronomy who will taste the original dishes of the finalists and choose the best, following the five Golden Rules. At the end of August 2016 the 20 young chef winners of the local competitions will be announced. They will be the official finalists for the October challenge. Each contestant will be assigned a “mentor chef”, a component of the local jury who will give the candidate tips that will help him/her to further improve his/her meal and to prepare for the final round.
Grand final and presentation of awards ceremony
On the 13th of October 2016, 20 young chef finalists will meet in Milan. The final phase will consist of a two-day culinary competition in front of the international jury composed of the Seven Sages who will choose the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2016.
by Alessandro Michielli
