After the resounding success of last year’s competition, despite numerous challenges, the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition is to return for a 5th edition in 2022/23. It will include a second edition of the Brain Food Forum, organised by Fine Dining Lovers, welcoming some of the industry's leading figures to discuss the most important topics.
The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition has grown over the years to become one of global gastronomy’s outstanding international events, affording young chef talent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for growth and development, and to create an international network of like-minded people.
With the continued commitment of some of the industry’s leading talent, both as judges and as mentors, the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition is a platform that enables young chefs from all around the world to showcase their talent and chart a clear course to an elevated career.
This edition of the competition will open to young chefs under 30 years of age, who will be able to register on www.sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com from 7 February until 31 May 2022. The process will culminate in the Grand Finale, to be held in 2023. Applicants will be asked to provide personal and professional information and submit the recipe of a signature dish able to communicate their personal vision, unique skills, and creativity.
Download the Competition’s Full Regulation in English (PDF) here.
Meet Jerome Ianmark Calayag the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award winners 2021
As with previous editions, in the first selection phase applications will be evaluated by ALMA, the International School of Italian Culinary Arts. ALMA will define a shortlist of young chefs who will participate in one of the 15 regional finals that will take place over the second half of 2022.
Committed to supporting gender balance and inclusivity, S.Pellegrino recognises that gastronomy can be a challenging industry for women chefs, and that they are often under-represented in it. In order to ensure that women are represented throughout the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition, each regional final will guarantee at least 33% of chefs competing are women.
“A few months after the success of the Grand Finale 2019/21, which was held in Milan last October, we are thrilled to announce the fifth edition of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition. The competition, originally conceived as an international scouting project, has evolved over the past two years into an authentic, permanent training and networking laboratory: the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, an inspiring community of more than 1000 people made up of young and senior chefs originating from all over the world. The competition opens the doors to the Academy and is the main tool we have to stimulate creativity and promote talent. The whole project conveys our commitment to pushing continuous evolution within the gastronomy world, which today represents an extraordinary ‘space’ to spread universal values, such as sustainability, responsibility, inclusivity, resilience and beauty”, says Stefano Bolognese, S.Pellegrino’s international business unit director.
The chefs will compete for the ultimate prize at the 2022-23 Grand Finale, but there will of course be other awards up for grabs, including the Acqua Panna Award for Connection in Gastronomy, voted for by Mentors, the winner of this award will produce a dish that represents the culinary heritage of the native region. The dish should highlight traditional culinary practises and personal modern vision, providing a connection between the past and the future, the S.Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility, voted by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, who runs the Food Made Good, the largest foodservice sustainability programme and global community for driving sustainability in hospitality, this dish will represent the principle that food is at its best when it’s the result of socially responsible practices, encompassing sourcing, social and environmental requirements. Submissions to this award are judged according to 8 criteria: resource use, climate impact, biodiversity, food waste, nutrition, collaboration, advocacy, innovation and the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award, voted for by the online Fine Dining Lovers community, this award will be for the young chef who will be able to best represent his/her personal belief within his/her signature dish..