Culinary Skills Put to the Test at S.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition
Northern Ireland’s young professional chefs are invited to compete in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016.
The renowned Nestlé Waters brand which is distributed in Northern Ireland by United Wine Merchants, has announced the return of the competition which in its inaugural year drew more than 3,600 entries from across the globe with Ireland’s Mark Moriarty triumphing as the overall winner.
“It was an unforgettable trip and an experience I will never forget,” said Mark Moriarty from Ireland. “I met so many amazing chefs and to win such an esteemed award really made a difference to my career.”
This year 20 young chefs from many different geographic areas will compete for the coveted title of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 and UWM brand manager, Emma Haughian, is hoping for success for Northern Ireland chefs.
“We have some very talented young chefs working here in Northern Ireland and as a result our culinary scene developing rapidly. I would encourage those professionals under 30 to get their applications in before the 31st March deadline and take their place on the world stage,” said Emma.
The results of the competition will be based on the judgement of the Seven Sages of world cuisine. The panel of top international chefs will be composed of: Carlo Cracco, Mauro Colagreco, David Higgs, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack. They will taste the dishes of the challengers and decide who deserves to become the best young chef in 2016.
Acclaimed chef Peter Gilmore will also help mentor participants this year, with young chefs from around the world invited to submit their entries alongside their signature dish. Chefs must be no older than 30 and are required to have at least one year of experience working in a restaurant as a chef, sous chef or chef de partie.
The candidates will be divided into 20 regions and their submissions will be evaluated by the ALMA College in Italy, a leading international education and training centre for Italian cuisine. Ten finalists from each region will then be selected in accordance with the competition’s five ‘Golden Rules’: ingredients, skill, genius, beauty and message.
The finalists will participate in live competitions held in each region from 1 May to 15 August 2016, where the chefs will have to cook their signature dishes for a regional jury comprising independent chefs who will taste the dishes and select one winner. On 13 October, the Young Chef finalists will meet in Milan for two days of competition in front of the international panel of judges, who will ultimately crown the Young Chef for 2016.
For more information on the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 competition, visit www.finedininglovers.com or follow #SPYoungChef online.
