S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018: Congratulations to the 21 Finalists

S.PELLEGRINO YOUNG CHEF 2018: ALL FINALISTS & MENTORS

Find out who are the 21 best young chefs in the world that will now proceed to the Grand Finale in Milan in May 2018, where just one chef will win.



Following an intense round of culinary competitions around the world, we are pleased to announce the names of the 21 global finalists selected to compete in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Grand Finale 2018.

Congratulations to the 21 talented young chefs that have made it this far in the competition earning their place in the prestigious final!

This competition's 21 finalists have been shortlisted through a rigorous selection process of over 2000 young chef applications from 243 countries and a further competitive cooking round where 210 semi-finalists battled head to head in 21 regions worldwide.

The young chef finalists are now busy preparing for the next exciting phase of their culinary journey alongside their chef mentors. The coming months will be dedicated to working together perfecting their signature dishes and honing their presentation skills in preparation for the final challenge in Milan, May 2018.

At the Grand Finale their grit, determination and skill will be put to the ultimate test. The 21 finalists will face off in front of a Grand Jury of the seven of the worlds best chefs as well as an audience packed with friends, family, media, peers and world-class chefs.

While their personal challenges and signature dishes may differ, these young chefs all share one common ambition, to be crowned S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018, and walk in the footsteps of the previous winners, Mark Moriarty and Mitch Lienhard.

See the 21 young chef finalists pictured below (left), their signature dishes (middle) and their mentors (right).

Africa-Middle East


Young Chef: Vusumuzi Ndlovu - sous chef - Marabi Jazz Club - Johannesburg, South Africa
Signature Dish: Isicupho (aged duck crown)
Mentor: Marthinus Ferreira

Read more here
BENELUX


Young Chef: Frederic Chastro - chef - Sōma restaurant - Antwerp, Belgium
Signature Dish: Belgian rabbit roll, offal and brain, with organic endives and a rich sauce based on dark beer
Mentor: Peter Goossens

Find out more here
CANADA


Young Chef: Benjamin Mauroy-Langlais - chef de partie - Automne in Montréal, Quebec
Signature Dish: Spring in Kamouraska (smoked eel and celeriac)
Mentor: Riccardo Bertolino (meet him here)

Read more here
CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

Young Chef finalist: Jose Oscar Casimiro Segundo - chef - Ajumú restaurant in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Signature Diss: Barbacoa and cenizas (barbecued rabbit)
Mentor: Mikel Olonso
CHINA


Young Chef: Chanwai Poon - sous chef - Aurora Restaurant, Disney Resort Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Signature Dish: Childhood (pan seared red mullet with texture of beetroot and shellfish sauce)
Mentor: Jacqueline Qiu (meet her here)

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EAST EUROPE


Young Chef Finalist: Marcin Popielarz - chef - White Rabbit - Gdansk, Poland
Signature Dish: Smoked halibut with cucumber and dill
Mentor: Wojciech Modest Amaro

Find out more here
FRANCE


Young Chef Finalist: Antonio Buono - chef - Mirazur, Menton, France
Signature Dish Mediterranean Scorpionfish, black rouille, rhubarb, wild celery and flowers from the mountain
Mentor: Frédéric Anton (meet him here)

Find out more here
GERMANY-AUSTRIA


Young Chef Finalist: Falko Weiss - chef - Restaurant A la Minute - Trier, Germany
Signature Dish: City, Land, River (stewed pork belly with crisp, celeriac puree, crawfish and tea time fond)
Mentor: Karlheinz Hauser (meet him here)

Find out more here
ITALY


Young Chef Finalist: Edoardo Fumigalli - chef -La Locanda del Notaio, Pellio Intelvi, Italy
Signature Dish: Carabiniere shrimp, frosted sweetbreads, crispy algae and aromatic salad
Mentor: Anthony Genovese (meet him here)

Find out more here
JAPAN


Young Chef Finalist: Yasuhiro Fujio - sous chef - La Cime, Osaka, Japan
Signature Dish: Across the Sea (featuring Japanese ‘Ayu’ fish)
Mentor: Luca Fantin (meet him here)

Find out more here
MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES


Young Chef Finalist: Constadina Voulgari Kontesopoulou - chef - Pelagos Sea Side, Ierapetra, Greece
Signature Dish: Ellinon Gefsis (featuring sous vide partiridge)
Mentor: Nikos Roussos (meet him here)

Find out more here
NORTH-EAST ASIA


Young Chef Finalist: Zih-Yang Chen - chef, - VG The Seafood Bar, Taipei, Taiwan
Signature Dish: The Taste of Taiwan (duck breast with sweet potato, adlay, scallions, and Taiwanese local ingredients)
Mentor: Umberto Bombana

Find out more here
PACIFIC AUSTRALIA


Young Chef Finalist: John Rivera - chef de partie - Restaurant Amaru, Armdale, Australia
Signature Dish: Sinigang (Hapuka and tomato, calamansi and taro)
Mentor: Scott Pickett (meet him here)

Find out more here
RUSSIA-BALTICS-CIS


Young Chef Finalist: Ruslan Evstigneev - chef - Pushkin, Kazan, Russia
Signature Dish: Horse, kumiss, and barley. Nomad approach for a dinner.
Mentor: Andrey Shmakov

Find out more here
SCANDINAVIA- BALTICS


Young Chef Finalist: Anton Husa - Chef - Upper House Dining, Göteborg, Sweden
Signature Dish: Leek-coated cod, caramelised celeriac, stuffed onions and smoked dill emulsion
Mentor: Henri Alén

Find out more here
SOUTH AMERICA

Young Chef Finalist: Elizabeth Puquio Landeo - chef de partie - Ambrosía restaurant, Chile
Signature Dish: ‘Pescado de la Costa’ or ‘Coastal Fish’
Mentor: Rafael Osterling (meet him here)

Find out more here

SOUTH-EAST ASIA


Young Chef Finalist: Jake Kellie - sous chef- Burnt Ends restaurant, Singapore
Signature Dish: Aged Pigeon
Mentor: Richard Ekkebus

Find out more here

SPAIN-PORTUGAL


Young Chef Finalist: David Andrés - sous chef - ABaC Restaurant, Barcelona, Spain
Signature Dish: Making the most out of bluefin tuna
Mentor: Oriol Castro

Find out more here
SWITZERLAND


Young Chef Finalist: David Wälti - sous chef - Eisblume, Worb, Switzerland
Signature Dish: Salmon trout with herbal tea and raw marinated vegetables
Mentor: André Jaeger

Find out more here
UK-IRELAND


Young Chef Finalist: Killian Crowley - chef de partie - Aniar restaurant, Galway, Ireland
Signature Dish: Turbot, kohlrabi, sea purslane
Mentor: Angela Hartnett (meet her here)
USA


Young Chef Finalist: John Taube IV - sous chef - The NoMad Hotel, NY, US
Signature Dish: Squab and a beet
Mentor: Gavin Kaysen (meet him here)

Find out more here

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