InFusion 2019 Kicks Off With Star Young Chefs

Over 24-26 January, 2019, the bright young Italian chef Lorenzo Cogo hosted Yasuhiro Fujio, winner of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018, for the first InFusion 2019 event at his one star Michelin restaurant El Coq in Vicenza. The two chefs held a Four Hands Dinner on the evening of 26 January, creating a nine course meal for a select group of guests consisting of food lovers and industry experts.

S.PELLEGRINO YOUNG CHEF: YASUHIRO FUJIO

It was one of many in which chef Fujio has had the occasion to participate since his win at S.Pellegrino Young Chef back in May 2018. The quiet young chef from Japan, ex sous chef at La Cime in Osaka (two Michelin stars) won over the star studded jury panel with his signature dish “Across the Sea” featuring the ayu river fish, which was based on the memories of his childhood by the river in his hometown.

Cogo on the other hand, is one of the youngest Italian chefs to get a Michelin star. He is known for experimentation in his cooking style, and has always been open to different cultures and culinary techniques from all over the world, having come from a family of restaurateurs and trained at Etxebarri in the Basque countries, The Fat Duck and Noma.

INFUSION 2019: A STORY OF TASTE AND FRIENDSHIP

Cogo and Fujio toured the city and markets of Vicenza together, prior to the Four Hands dinner looking for forgotten ingredients and flavours for inspiration for the menu. They also stopped by at the La Vigna International Library, the largest collection of cookbooks in Italy, to help in their research for ideas.

"There is nothing of mine, there is nothing of his" explained Cogo at the dinner, "for two days we turned to markets, ate local codfish, drank good wine, visited the Olympic Theatre, and studied." The resulting menu was a cross between Japan and Italy both in terms of ingredients and techniques, featuring for example a Japanese panna cotta based on dashi, which was made in one case with dried cod, a staple in the Venetian cuisine.

INFUSION 2019 WHAT’S UP NEXT

This event, sponsored by S.Pellegrino, launched the 2019 edition of InFusion, a project that Cogo has worked on over the past few years, whereby he invites international chefs to his El Coq restaurant for various dinners and events with the aim to facilitate cultural exchange and the discovery of new ideas in food.

It was the first in a series of three InFusion events planned for this year. Other two incredible chefs will create unique recipes with Cogo, taking inspiration from their different gastronomic cultures.

S.Pellegrino is proud to take part in events such as InFusion alongside young chefs. As the world’s leading sparkling mineral water, S.Pellegrino has always maintained strong ties to the world of gastronomy, driven by a unique passion, and thanks to the S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition that launched in 2015 it has been able to realise its commitment to the support young talent in gastronomy.

Read more about S.Pellegrino Young Chef and stay up to date on the latest that’s happening with the winners of the contest on their path of culinary development. Follow S.Pellegrino on Instagram and Facebook with #sanpellegrino and #tastefulmoments.