The organisation behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The World's 50 Best Bars has unveiled its second ever annual list of young people hailed as the next-generation leaders in gastronomy at an all day live event in Bilbao. 

The list, collated in partnership with academic partner the Basque Culinary Center, celebrates people aged 35 and under, or older if they have set out on a new career path, identified as future leaders in food and drink. The list also encompasses the wider scene beyond chefs, from producers and educators to tech creators and activists.

In total, gamechangers from 30 territories across six continents and ranging in age from 22 to 37 made the list. The youngest is 22-year-old Mustapha Diyaol-Haqq, a Ghanaian coder leading the charge for agricultural innovation.

The list is divided into seven categories: Empowering Educators, Entrepreneurial Creatives, Gamechanging Producers, Hospitality Pioneers (supported by S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy), Science Innovators, Tech Disruptors, and Trailblazing Activists. 

Legendary chefs Mauro Colagreco, Dominique Crenn and Joan Roca, were also present at the 50 Next event to celebrate the future voices in gastronomy, with a series of presentations, live interviews and interactive panels.

50 Next: Class of 2022

There is no ranking, with all those that appear on the list recognised equally. Take a look at the full list below.

(Where the person’s place of origin differs from their place of residence, this is denoted in brackets).

Empowering Educators

The creative minds transforming society through food-led learning and development

▪ Arielle Johnson, 35 – New York, USA

▪ Charles Michel, 36 – Bogotá, Colombia (from France)

▪ Chloé Charles, 35 – Paris, France

▪ Anusha Murthy, 30, and Elizabeth Yorke, 29 – Bangalore, India

▪ Yi Jun Loh, 29 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

▪ Vinesh Johny, 33 – Bangalore, India

Entrepreneurial Creatives

Visionary thinkers blending art, culture and culinary creativity, sponsored by Estrella Damm

▪ Camila Fiol Stephens, 34 – Santiago, Chile

▪ Caroline Cotto, 29 – Oakland, USA

▪ Dinara Kasko, 33 – Kharkov City, Ukraine

▪ Juan Pablo Medina, 29 – Copenhagen, Denmark (from Colombia)

▪ Mariana da Silva Vasconcelos, 30 – Campinas, Brazil

▪ Oscar Ekponimo, 36 – Abuja, Nigeria

▪ Travinder Singh, 31 – Singapore

Gamechanging Producers

The farmers, artisans and makers powering the supply chain in innovative ways, sponsored by Choco

▪ Corrado Paternò Castello, 30 – Catania, Italy

▪ Dharath Hoonchamlong, 29 – Bangkok, Thailand

▪ Jessica Naomi Fong, 31 – Hong Kong

▪ Martin Texier, 32 – Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban, France

▪ Pol Contreras Vilapriñó, 36 – Ezcaray, Spain

▪ Rosanna Gahler, 25 – Alt Madlitz, Germany

▪ Yu Hsuan Cheng, 34 – Taipei

▪ Rahaf Allymoni, 29 – Amsterdam, Netherlands (from Syria)

Hospitality Pioneers

Chefs, bartenders and R&D wizards at the forefront of change in dining and drinking, sponsored by S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy

▪ Debora Fadul, 36 – Guatemala City, Guatemala

▪ Jackwing Yao, 31, Lola Liu, 30 and Tiger Liang, 27 – Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China

▪ Javier Rivero Yarza, 31 – Tolosa, Basque Country

▪ Michael Adé Elégbèdé, 32 – Lagos, Nigeria

▪ Mmabatho Molefe, 27 – Cape Town, South Africa

▪ Santiago Lastra, 32 – London, UK (from Mexico)

▪ Mette Brink Søberg, 32 – Copenhagen, Denmark

▪ Zineb Hattab, 32 – Zurich, Switzerland (from Spain and Morocco)

Science Innovators

Biologists, engineers and inventors developing unique solutions for the culinary world

▪ Asrar Damdam, 29 – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

▪ Eneko Axpe, 35 – San Francisco, USA (from Spain)

▪ Gregory Constantine, 33 – New York, USA (from Australia) and Stafford Sheehan, 33 – New York, USA

▪ Jessica Bogard, 34 – Brisbane, Australia

▪ Nidiya Kusmaya, 30 – Sukabumi, Indonesia

▪ Risha Jasmine Nathan, 34 – New Delhi, India

▪ Verleen Goh, 35 – Singapore

▪ Sara Marquart, 33 – Zurich, Switzerland (from Germany) and Maximilian Marquart, 36 – Munich, Germany

Tech Disruptors

Bright sparks using technology to solve food-and-drink world problems

▪ Daniella Kwayu, 31 – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

▪ Fengru Lin, 34 – Singapore

▪ Magdalena Jüngst, 29, and Tim Jäger, 30 – Munich, Germany

▪ Mustapha Diyaol-Haqq, 22 – Accra, Ghana

▪ Nick Berry, 34 – Kingscote, Australia

▪ Scott-William Braley, 34 – Le Havre, France

▪ Farah Emara, 31 – Giza, Egypt

Trailblazing Activists

The society shapers pushing for equality, diversity and positive action in gastronomy

▪ Alpha Sennon, 35 – Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago

▪ Nicola Kagoro, 33 – Harare, Zimbabwe (from USA)

▪ Nidhi Pant, 29 – Mumbai, India

▪ Zacarias González, 37 – New York, USA

▪ Jenny Dorsey, 31 – Los Angeles, USA (from China)

▪ Lefteris Arapakis, 28 – Piraeus, Greece