Six Top Chefs Named in Italy local competition Jury

S.Pellegrino has officially announced the Italian jury of the next edition of S.Pellegrino Young Chef – the international search to find the best young chef in the world. Judging the signature dish of the 10 finalists in the Local Competition for Italy will be Carlo Cracco (Cracco, Milan), Caterina Ceraudo (Dattilo, Strongoli), Cristina Bowerman (Glass Hostaria, Rome), Anthony Genovese (Il Pagliaccio, Rome), Loretta Fanella (Opéra, San Miniato) and Ciccio Sultano (Duomo, Ragusa Ibla).

The six chefs will choose the young man or woman, from the 10 finalists selected by Italian cookery school ALMA, to represent Italy in the international final. Anthony Genovese will be the chef mentor to work with the Italian candidate on perfecting his/her signature dish and will accompany them to the final challenge where they will face off against 20 other competitors, from as many regions, in the world final in Milan. We find out more about each of the professional chefs below:

French-born to Italian parents it was perhaps inevitable that Anthony Genovese would explore his heritage through his passion for cooking. Whilst he started out in France, travelling on through England, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand it wasn’t until he stepped foot in Ravello in Italy at the Hotel Palazzo Sasso, at Rossellini’s restaurant that he obtained his first Michelin star. Moving to the eternal city in 2003 his adventures began in the Italian capital where the culmination of his formative years took shape at two Michelin starred Il Pagliaccio in Rome.

Joining Genovese on the panel is fellow ally from the Rome fine dining scene, chef Cristina Bowerman from restaurants Glass Hostaria and Romeo. Despite being a late starter in the kitchen, graduating in law, she went on to train in professional kitchens in San Francisco, California and Austin, Texas. She is one of the few Italian female chefs to have been awarded a Michelin star and her passion for Modern Italian makes her an inspiring figure on the Italian culinary circuit. Bowerman has been both a mentor and a judge in S.Pellegrino Young Chef since its inaugural edition in 2015.

Heading further south to the “new kitchen” and home of Calabrian chef is Caterina Ceraudo, endorsing her love of her land from within. Whilst Michelin-starred Dattilo in Strongoli (Crotone) is certainly not a new gourmet destination Caterina has definitely infused the family run restaurant in Calabria with new influences, stimuli, knowledge and technique, honed under the likes of Niko Romito. She coins the term "kitchen of the future," to describe her cooking style, based on respect for nature and ingredients. 

Loretta Fanella brings a complementary set of the skills to the panel, having trained as a professional pastry chef. Hailing from Opéra in San Miniato she has worked in the kitchens of Ferran Adrià in Barcelona, Carlo Cracco in Milan and Giorgio Pinchiorri in Florence.

Also joining the team is Carlo Cracco, undoubtedly one of the best-known haute cuisine chefs in Italy. The one time student of Gualtiero Marchesi and Alain Ducasse made a name for fine dining in Milan with his highly regarded two Michelin star restaurant, Cracco. Cracco’s judging credentials precede him, as a regular judge on Masterchef Italy; Cracco was also one of the Seven Sages at S.Pellegrino Young chef 2016.

Completing the jury is Sicily-born Ciccio Sultano from two Michelin-starred Duomo, in Ragusa Ibla. His story is that of a self-made man with an enduring passion for both his island and raw materials, who has returned time and again from overseas work experience, including a stint at Lidia Bastianich in New York. 

We remind you that, if you are a chef with at least one year of experience in the kitchen and are 30-years-old or younger, you can sign up here for S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018, by sending your signature dish and your application by 30 April 2017.