S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2019-2020, the competition so far

The 12 regional finals of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2019-2020 have taken place and the names of the regional winners have been revealed. The competition this year was more impressive than ever, seeing applicants from all over the world to take part. With S.Pellegrino’s commitment towards gender balance and inclusivity, the percentage of women registered among the candidates increased to more than 10%.

All over the globe, 135 young chefs passed the preliminary selections and took part in live cook-offs in front of international jury panels from the participating countries of the 12 regions.

The 12 S.Pellegrino Young Chef regional winners will go forward to compete at the Grand Finale in Milan in October 2021. At the Grand Finale, these young chefs will cook in front of the Seven Sages, an esteemed jury panel made up of seven world renowned chefs, who will judge their dishes to find the final winner of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2020.

The regional winners have been allocated a mentor chef who will provide support in this period as they refine their signature dishes, all the way up to the Grand Finale.

The 12 regions and the respective S.Pellegrino Young Chef winners are:

Jose Lorenzo Morales, Melbourne, Australia, Pacific Region – “Analogy”
Kevin Wong Tat Mun, Singapore, Singapore, Asia Region – “Celebration of a Duck”
Albert Manso Miras, Barcelona, Spain, Iberian & Mediterranean Country – “Quail and Wine”
Cynthia Xrysw Ruelas Diaz, Guadalajara, Mexico, Latin America Region – “Milpa y Mar”

Levente Koppány, Budapest, Hungary, Central Europe Region – “Rainbow trout with chervil, forest mushrooms and wild garlic”
Vitalii Savelev, Moscow, Russian Federation, Euro Asia Region – “Black Sea Rapa with mushrooms grown on lemon peels”
Alexandre Alves Pereira, Paris, France, North West Europe Region – “Green asparagus, sardine, ground ivy”
Paul Thinus Prinsloo, Cape Town, South Africa, Africa & Middle East Region – "Bouillabaisse 2.0"

Alessandro Bergamo, Milan, Italy, Italy & South East Region – “Better an egg today or a chicken tomorrow?”
Rafael Covarrubias, Oakville, Canada, North America Region – “Mole Negro spiced muscovy duck, preserved prune, and winter roots”
Jerome Ianmark Calayag, Stockholm, Sweden, UK & North Europe Region – "Humble vegetables"
Victor/Zhi Cheng Wang, Shanghai, China, Greater China Region – "What is soy in China"

THE THREE ADDITIONAL AWARDS

In addition, this year’s competition introduced three new awards to reflect S.Pellegrino’s belief in and support of, the transformative power of gastronomy and its impact beyond the kitchen.

These awards were available at the Regional level and all of the winners of these awards will also be invited to attend the Grand Finale, affording them another opportunity to network with some of the biggest names in gastronomy from around the globe.

The three awards that compliment the existing S.Pellegrino Young Chef award are:

Acqua Panna Award for Connection in Gastronomy

At the Regional Finals, the local mentors voted for one chef from each region whose signature dish reflected the perfect connection between different cultures. The purpose of the award is to emphasize the growing trend in global gastronomy of “Chefs without Borders”.

James Bond-Kennedy, South Geelong, Australia, Pacific Region – “Great ocean duck, and its seasonal feed!”
Tor Aik Chua, Singapore, Singapore, Asia Region – "Whole Kinmedai with Malaysian elements"
Óscar Dayas Rodríguez, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, Iberian & Mediterranean Region – “The transhumance from the coast, to the summit”
Abraham Almazan, Puebla, Mexico, Latin America Region – “A day in the Sierra Negra”
Łukasz Moneta, Warsaw, Poland, Central Europe Region – “Sturgeon and Snails”
Lari Helenius, Helsinki, Finland, Euro Asia Region – “Different parts of cod, grilled butter, jellied oyster, crispy "muesli" made of grains and cod skin and creamy fish sauce”
Vivien Rouleaud, Courchevel, France, North West Europe – “Beginning of Spring... Squab returns!”
Elissa Abou Tasse, Beirut, Lebanon, Africa & Middle East Region – “Adam's Garden”
Tommaso Tonioni, Rome, Italy, Italy & South East Europe Region – “Lol "Eel" Pop - Honey from the beach & potatoes from the lake” 
Jeremy Stephens, New Orleans, United States, North America Region – “Crawfish Boil”
Timothée Martin-Nadaud, London, United Kingdom, UK & North Europe Region – “The World Is Your Oyster”
Ho Lam Shek, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Greater China Region – “Stuffed and marinated Chinese Golden Thread Bream, fermented grains, celtuce, Chenpi oil"

S.Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility

This award was decided by an internationally recognized voice on sustainability in food, selecting the chef who puts forward the dish that best represents the principle of food as a result of socially responsible practices.

Kezia Kristel, Sydney, Australia, Pacific Region – “Experiencing mushrooms in flavours and savoury carrot tart”
Muhammad Afif Adnanta Nasution, Bali, Indonesia, Asia Region – “Smoked Java Mackerel with Batak sauce"
Mengxin Zhou, Igualada, Spain, Iberian & Mediterranean Region – “The Trout – Schubert”
Sebastián Pinzón Giraldo, Cartagena, Colombia, Latin America Region – “Cured fish "Jurel" with green mango spaghetti, lacto fermented mandarin lemon and cold infusion of sour guava”
Jana Stöger, Stuttgart, Germany, Central Europe Region – “As a child in Tirol”
Ivan Kamenev, Moscow, Russian Federation, Euro Asia Region – “I found that in the garden"
Kitano Yurika, Paris, France, North West Europe – “Spring is everywhere in Normandy”
Callan Austin, Cape Town, South Africa, Africa & Middle East Region – “The Ghost Net"
Davide Marzullo, Como, Italy, Italy & South East Europe Region – “Aubergine in black tie”
Kathryn Ferries, Ottawa, Canada, North America Region – “Forest honey glazed rabbit Ballotine with fennel Chanterelles and mustard greens”
Pippa Lovell, Port Erin, Isle of Man, UK & North Europe Region – “What she found”
Pin-Jui Su, Taipei, Taiwan, Greater China Region – “After rain”

Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award

This award was voted for by the online Fine Dining Lovers community, foodies, chefs and fans of gastronomy all over the world, asking the online community to select the young chef who best represents their personal belief within their dish.

Abhijit Dey, Auckland, New Zealand, Pacific Region – “Horopito cured wild venison cooked over Kanuka wood, Karamu berries and feijoa cream with celeriac and Melson Valley saffron reduction”
Karan Upmanyu, Bangalore, India, Asia Region – “Shades of the desert”
Andrea Ravasio, Adeje, Spain, Iberian & Mediterranean Region – “El Domingo Del Campesino”
Eliodoro Xicum Cobá, Mérida, Mexico, Latin America Region – “Nohoch Ná”
Krzysztof Konieczny, Sopot, Poland, Central Europe Region – “Jerusalem Artichoke "Fish"
Egor Makarov, Moscow, Russian Federation, Euro Asia Region – “Russian Seafood"
Evens Lopez, Monte Carlo, Monaco, North West Europe – “Homard Bleu tiède, pain de blé truffier goût marin et artichaut farci”
Marcus Gericke, Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa & Middle East Region – "Remembrance" (Quail Consommé)
Antonio Romano, Milan, Italy, Italy & South East Europe Region – “Roma locuta”
Marvin Palomo, Oakville, Canada, North America Region – “Dungenese crab Chowanmushi”
Nicolas Fagundes Galindo, Dublin, Ireland, UK & North Europe Region – “Flavors And Textures Of Palm And Ox Tongue”
Ingrid Gonçalves, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Greater China Region – “Between the flavours”

Bookmark the page www.SanpellegrinoYoungChef.com to find out all the winners of this exciting culinary competition as the Regional Finals of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2019-2020 unfold around the globe. 

Learn more via our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram, and by following #Sanpellegrino and #SPYoungChef.