Tuesday, February 6, 2024
YCO 2024 Concludes with Azerbaijan Winning Gold, Silver Shared by Philippines and Nepal, and Italy Taking Bronze.
The 10th International IIHM Young Chef Olympiad, a historic and grand culinary competition, came to an exciting close with a glamorous Closing Ceremony held in Kolkata. Azerbaijan’s Leyla Valiyeva secured the prestigious gold trophy, while the silver was divided between Clifford Jeff Cadunggo Unabia from the Philippines and Kamal Thapa from Nepal. Italy’s Francesco Orsi claimed the bronze trophy.
Azerbaijan Triumphs in YCO 2024, Philippines and Nepal Share Silver, Italy Takes Home Bronze
After seven eventful days spanning six cities across India, this year’s Young Chef Olympiad, known as YCO 2024, concluded in spectacular fashion. With participation from over 60 countries, YCO24 was one of the largest and most prestigious culinary competitions globally. The Closing Ceremony was nothing short of grandeur, hosted at Kolkata’s renowned amusement park, Wet o Wild.
In addition to the top three winners, YCO 2024 featured a series of special category awards. The Plate Trophy, contested among teams ranked from 11th to 20th place, was awarded to India’s Lenin Bopanna. New Zealand received the Kitchen Cut Management Award, while Nepal earned recognition for the Best Vegetarian Dish. Italy was recognized for the Best Crème Souffle a l’Orange.
Six Best Mentor Nominee Awards were presented based on mentors’ recommendations, with honors going to Greece, Jordan, Netherlands, Ethiopia, Botswana, and Equatorial Guinea. The six Best Young Chef Ambassador Awards were bestowed upon Australia, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Scotland, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Furthermore, awards for Best Hygiene and Kitchen Practice were given to Namibia, Portugal, England, Bulgaria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Thailand, Portugal, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan excelled in the Best Knife Skills Award category. The Lord Bilimoria Rising Stars Award recognized the culinary talents of Namibia, Albania, Uzbekistan, Mauritius, Ireland, and Oman. Kenya received the Gold Global Sustainability Award, and Lesotho earned the Spirit of Young Chef Olympiad International Award.
Introduced for participants not in the top 20 teams, the Dr. Bose Challenge Trophy was awarded to Kenya and Switzerland.
YCO 2024, organized by the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and hosted by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), embodied the spirit of unity under the theme “One World One YCO.”
YCO 2024 boasted a distinguished panel of judges from around the world, led by Prof David Foskett, OBE, Chairman of the Jury, and Chef John Wood, the Founder and Director of Kitchen Cut as Chief Judge. Deputy Chief Judge Chef Rahul Akerkar, renowned Chef and Restaurateur, and other culinary luminaries, including Chef Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, Sicilian Chef Enzo Oliveri, pastry chef and chocolatier Sarah Hartnett, Dato’ Chef Abdul Wahab Zamzani, Celebrity Chef from Malaysia, Chef Neil Rippington, International Director, IIHM, and Chef Mario Perera, Executive Chef Dorchester Collection, completed the esteemed panel.
YCO 2024 continued its commitment to sustainability by promoting the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Zenobia Nadirshaw Diamond Research Award recognized students who conducted research on the SDGs and their implementation to create a better world. Winners included Kenya, Bangladesh, India, and Italy.
“Preparing and organising an event of this stature needs the might of an organisation and leadership that runs a network of connected institutes across the country, manages people from different places, with an alumni base of tens of thousands and is loved by the entire world,” said Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Principal Judge and Mentor, YCO.
“There are years when nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen. That’s what happened in the pandemic. It taught us the importance of health and sustainability and brought us close to food. I am so glad that YCO has embodied both food and sustainability in this competition,” said Nakul Anand, eminent hotel an travel industry personality who is now Chairman of the YCO Global Advisory Committee.
“YCO 2024 was special because it was the 10th year. It had been a wonderful decade in which we have received incredible support from the countries, mentors, judges and everyone who was involved. We are absolutely committed to the UN SDGs and we are also proud and grateful to the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili for his support, specially because he launched the 10th YCO by inaugurating the chef jacket that the participants are wearing this year. The Young Chef Olympiad is the greatest platform to promote Youth Culinary Diplomacy, a platform to bring the world together through the power of youth. YCO will continue to celebrate and carry forward the spirit of One World One YCO in the years to come,” said Dr Suborno Bose, Chairman, International Hospitality Council (IHC) and Founder, YCO.
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Saturday, April 27, 2024
