The San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25, the global initiative to discover and mentor the most talented young chefs under the age of 30, will bring together 10 of Asia’s new culinary figures for the regional final, which will be held in Hong Kong on Oct 28.
The 10 young chefs from Asia were shortlisted from thousands of applicants globally by culinary experts at Alma, the world’s leading educational centre for Italian cuisine. They were assessed based on three Golden Rules, namely displaying the strongest technical skills, genuine creativity and demonstrating an exceptional personal belief about the power and importance of gastronomy.
The chefs will be cooking a dish that best represents their take on the future of gastronomy and will be judged by a panel of seven renowned judges. The chef with the highest score will win the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Award (Asia) and compete with winners from 14 other regions at the global Grand Finale taking place in Milan, Italy, in October 2025 for the coveted title of the “S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award 2024-25 Global Winner”.
Candidates competing in the Asian regional final are:
• Simone Scarparo from Luna By Clara restaurant in Bangkok with a dish called “Hidden In The Beeswax”.
• Nusita Woottidetch from Elements, inspired by Ciel Bleu, in Bangkok, with a dish called “Thai Heritage”.
• Aswin Kumar Karanat Subramanian from Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru Maldives, with a dish called “Shells Break The Shell”.
• Stefan de Graaf from SyrcoBase in Bali, Indonesia, with a dish called “Where The Flavors Of Heritage Meet The Spices Of The Present”.
• Ardy Ferguson from Belon in Hong Kong with a dish called “Archipelago Celebration”.• Variando Wahyu from Maya Sanur resort in Bali, Indonesia, with a dish called “Go Local Or Go Home”.
• Jiajun Law from Province in Singapore with a dish called “Long Island Duck with Jambu, Bue Ta Na rice Donabe With Braised Duck Legs, Garden Pickles and Duck Broth”.• William Yee from Labyrinth in Singapore with a dish called “Childhood Flavours of ‘Da Pai Dang’ (Malaysian Food Street)”.
• Jae Ho Kim from Meat & Co. Steakhouse at Andaz Seoul Gangnam in South Korea with a dish called “Grandmother’s Pheasant”.
• Ai Ichinose, currently self-employed but most recently working at Lurra˚ in Kyoto, Japan, with a dish called “Hopes For The Future Of Food”.
Following the competion, will be the awards ceremony at The Murray Hong Kong where four awards will be given out. The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award; the S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award voted for by the Sustainable Restaurant Association; the Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award; and the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award voted for by Fine Dining Lovers readers.
Joining the global Grand Finale in Milan next year will be Ben Miller, from Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal in London, who won the UK Regional Final with his dish "Ode To Sam Yee", and Gabriela Sarmiento, representing Panama, who won the best young chef in the Latin America and Caribbean regional final.
Visit sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com.
