Young Chef Olympiad

Young Chef Olympiad
Established 2015
Type Cooking Competition
Founder Dr. Suborno Bose
City Kolkata
Country India India
Website http://www.ycolympiad.com

Season 1

The International Young Chef Olympiad 2015 was held in the city of Kolkata, India. The Ministry of Tourism (India), Government of India supported the world’s first such event.[1] The event was declared open at the City Centre (Salt Lake City, Kolkata) on the 29th of January 2015. All the participating countries namely United States, UK, Spain, France, Switzerland, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India, marched in to the arena with their country flags, supported by their teams and to unceasing applause from the crowd.[2]

India was represented by Ms. Dhriti Verma, 3rd year student of IIHM Jaipur. Chief Guest for the evening, Mr. Scott Furssedonn Wood, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, wished luck to the participants. Dr. Suborno Bose, founder of Young Chef Olympiad concept and chairman of the organizing committee of the event and Chief Mentor of International Institute of Hotel Management unveiled the YCO trophy and declared the Olympiad open.

Lighting of Torch at the Opening Ceremony

The Young Chef Olympiad flag was carried to the opening ceremony by 4 women. Ms Madhumita Mohanta, Executive Chef of the Lalit Great Eastern – Kolkata, Siddhika Ghosh – Owner of Restaurant "The Wise Owl" in Kolkata, Chef Payal – Master Chef Finalist from Kolkata and Chef Preeti Singh.[3]

The YCO oath was taken by Dhriti of India on behalf of all the participants. The Olympiad torch was carried to the arena by Garima Poddar, winner of the Young Chef India Schools 2014 contest held in London, and along with all the contestants lit up the main torch positioned on the top of the cake under the supervision of the Culinary Director of IIHM Chef Sanjay Kak. The lighting of the flames was followed by the cake cutting ceremony.

Award Presentation to the Winner.

The 15 participants were Dylan from USA, Leo from France, Marcin from Spain,[4] Marlon from China, Sumaiya from Bangladesh, Ian from Kenya, Indra from Bhutan, Tadiwa from Zimbabwe, Harsha from Sri Lanka, Ryan from Switzerland, Jennipha from Thailand, Tajinder from UK, Htoo from Myanmar, Ashwin from Malaysia and Dhriti from India. They had to compete against each other for the top 8 positions on 30 January in the preliminary and elimination round. They had to cook with the given ingredients, within a specified time. They were marked on creativity, hygiene, taste and optimum utilization of the ingredients.

The team of judges was headed by Prof. David Foskett – Head, London School of Hospitality and Tourism, University of West London, UK along with Chef Kunal Kapur of the Master Chef India fame, noted food critic and writer – Chef Karen Anand, Italian Master Chef Roberto Boggio, and Chef Shaun Kenworthy.

The final was a contest between Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, Kenya, France and India.

In the competitive finals the contestants were asked to cook vegetarian dishes which was challenging for contestants from France and Spain as they were not trained to cook such dishes.[5]

The winner was Ashwin from Malaysia, followed by 1st runner up Marcin from Spain and 2nd runner up Tajinder from UK. Judges introduced an award for the Outstanding Dish as well and was given to Ian from Kenya.[6]

Ashwin, the 2015 Young Chef Olympiad winner, was awarded a cash prize of $10,000 USD, the YCO trophy and a gold medal.[7]

Season 2

The 2nd International Young Chef Olympiad 2016, supported by Ministry of Tourism (India), Government of India, organized by International Institute of Hotel Management was held across 4 cites, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata and saw a participation from over 50 countries around the world.[8]

YCO 16 Opening Ceremony at the Talkatora Stadium, Delhi.

The opening ceremony was held at the Talkatora Stadium, Delhi on 27 January 2016. Students from various Delhi schools performed at the opening ceremony of YCO 2016.

The countries were divided into 3 groups for the round 1 of the competition. Round 1 at Delhi was held on 28 January 2016 at the IIHM, Delhi Campus and Group 2 and 3 flew to Mumbai and Bangalore for their Round 1 which was held on 29 January 2016. Round 1 at Mumbai was held at the Mumbai Cricket Association, Bandra Kurla Complex and Bangalore Round 1 was held at the Royal Orchid Hotel. Round 2 & the Grand Finale was held at the IIHM, Salt Lake campus, Kolkata.[9]

There was a distinguished panel of Judges to judge the competition headed by Dr. David Foskett, who has been the dean and head of the London School of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of West London, and is the chairman of the YCO jury.

The jury also had Chef Sanjeev Kapoor who is the principal judge and YCO mentor. Other panel members were Chef Kunal Kapur, Chef Andreas Muller, Chef Udo Leick, Chef Manjit Singh Gill, Chef Karen Anand, Chef Abhijit Saha and Chef Shaun Kenworthy.[10]

After Round 2, 11 countries were selected for the final. They were UAE, Finland, Switzerland, France, Mexico, Kenya, Canada, Mauritius, Romania, USA & Hong Kong.[11]

Dr. Suborno Bose & the panel of judges presenting the winner trophy to the YCO 16 winner Daniella Garmond.

The Award & Closing Ceremony was held at the Wet-O-Wild ground of Nicco Park. Usha Uthup was the star performer of the night. The joint second runner-up was Johan Kurkela from Finland & Fernando Andres Guajardo Moguel from Mexico. The first runner-up was Gabriela Aleksandrova Hristova from UAE.[12]

The winner of the 2nd International Young Chef Olympiad 2016 was Daniella Garmond from Canadian Food & Wine Institute, Ontario, Canada. The trophy and cash prize of USD 10,000 was presented by Dr. Suborno Bose. The panel of Judges and Chef Ranveer Brar was present while the award was given.[13]

Commenting on the event, Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of the Young Chef Olympiad and CEO-IIHM, said, “We are delighted at the global participation this year. It is a fantastic event that will reach out globally to as many countries as possible. Food has always been the biggest unifier and continues to be so in today’s day and age. YCO has connected talent across borders from the best culinary colleges under one roof making it a truly global event. Connecting the students from India with world class chefs from across the globe will not only bridge bonds but will also lay foundation of a global connect that will go a long way in each of their careers. The YCO will not only produce and refine the best talent amongst the young chefs but will also give the young talent a platform to learn, teach, showcase and network with.”[14]

References

  1. ↑ "IIHM to host first International ‘Young Chef Olympiad’ in Kolkata". The Indian Express Ltd. By: feonline | January 16, 2015 4:22 pm. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
  2. ↑ "The Opening Ceremony of The Young Chef Olympiad Presented By IIHM in Association with T2". The Telegraph (T2 Calcutta Edition, Page-16). Friday, February 6, 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
  3. ↑ "IIHM Announces Winner of World's 1st International Young Chef Olympiad 2015". India Today. KOLKATA, India, February 6, 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
  4. ↑ "Student from Les Roches International comes second at Young Chef Olympiad 2015". hospitalitybizindia.com. By: HBI Staff | New Delhi | Friday, February 06, 2015, 12:15 Hrs[IST]. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  5. ↑ "15 Countries. One Winner. 12 Ingredients. One Winning Dish. Moments from the IIHM Young Chef Olympiad in Association with T2". The Telegraph (T2 Calcutta Edition, Page-10). Thursday, February 5, 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
  6. ↑ "...And Moods & Moments from The Closing Ceremony at the Nalban Food Park". The Telegraph (T2 Calcutta Edition, Page-17). Friday, February 6, 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
  7. ↑ "IIHM Kolkata hosts first Young Chef Olympiad, Budding Chefs from 15 countries take part in YCO". hospitalitybizindia.com. By: HBI Staff | New Delhi | Saturday, February 14, 2015, 10:00 Hrs[IST]. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  8. ↑ "The battle of stir and fry begins at Young Chef Olympiad 2016". The Telegraph (T2 Story) Sunday, January 31, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  9. ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad-Calcutta gets ready to host the world’s biggest Young Chef Olympiad ". The Telegraph (T2 Story). Saturday, January 23, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  10. ↑ "World war for best young chef". The Telegraph (Calcutta Story). Thursday, January 28, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  11. ↑ "Super Score: Eleven on Ten!". The Telegraph (Calcutta Story). Monday, February 1, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  12. ↑ "YOUNG CHAMPS, HAPPY JUDGES, SONG & DANCE — A FITTING FINALE TO OLYMPIAD". The Telegraph, P-14. Tuesday, February 9, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  13. ↑ "Super Score: Eleven on Ten!". The Telegraph (Calcutta Story). Wednesday, February 3, 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  14. ↑ "Temperatures rising at the young chef olympiad". sundayguardianlive.com. By: Rahul Dean | January 30, 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-29.

External links

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