MILAN – Twenty finalists, seven judges and just one winner at “The Mall” in Milan, in the heart of Porta Nuova. The prize was awarded by six famous world-class chefs: Grant Achatz, Yannick Alléno, Massimo Bottura, Gastòn Acurio, Margot Janse, Joan Roca and Yoshihiro Narisawa. Representing Italy was Paolo Griffa, a sous chef under Marco Sacco, who had the Michelin-starred Cristina Bowerman as his mentor for the event. Tripe and 100% Italian foie gras was the dish presented by Griffa to introduce the flavours of the Mediterranean to the international jury, but it did not make it through to the final.
The winning dish
On the podium in the following order were: Mark Moriarty from Ireland (for the United Kingdom and Ireland), Maria José Jordan from Peru, (for Latin America) and Christian André Pattersen from Norway (for Scandinavia). The young Irishman aged 28, who was awarded this most coveted of prizes, runs the kitchens of The Culinary Council restaurant in Dublin and claims Brett Graham as his inspiration - an acclaimed chef on the London scene and head chef at The Ledbury. Surprisingly, the dish which won him the victory was vegetarian, showcasing celeriac as a key ingredient in its preparation.
The talent
The festival led to an international quest, involving 20 different parts of the globe and some of the best chefs in the world. Ingredients, skill, ingenuity and the attractiveness of the dishes were the criteria enabling the first 10 selected from each region to face the challenge in a local event, out of which came the regional finalists and then the 20 overall finalists. But that’s not all. This initiative was also accompanied by a project launched by S.Pellegrino and Vogue Italia. The 20 chefs selected worked hand in hand with 20 prestigious designers, who worked with them to reinterpret the dishes. The winning pair comprised Maria José Jordan and the designer, Paula Cademartori.
