Rodrigo Sandor wins the East Europe challenge

Rodrigo Sandor, Chef de Partie, from restaurant 'Costes Downtown' in Budapest, Hungary has been revealed as the winning young chef in the East Europe challenge of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016.

Following a tough, day long competition, up against nine other semi-finalists at the Metro Gastronomy Center (Bucharest) on 7 July, Sandor's signature dish “Mangalica pork cheek with caramelised cauliflower puree, raisins coulis, beetroot tortellini” was enough to secure his victory.

Judged by a professional jury namely, Adrian Hadean (Romania), Tomaž Kavčič (Slovenia) and Wojciech Korfel (Poland) their decision was conclusive: this was the right young chef and dish to represent the region at the forthcoming international final.

The young chef will now have time, in the months ahead, to perfect his dish under the guidance of his mentor Adrian Hadean in preparation of the ultimate challenge that lies ahead.