What: IIHM presents Young Chef Olympiad, in association with The Telegraph
Where: Delhi, Goa, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Calcutta
When: January 29 to February 4
Expect: The 10th edition of the biggest cross-country culinary competition for chef students, hosted by IIHM, is all set to begin today with the opening ceremony being held in New Delhi. The contestants, representing 60 countries, including France, Australia, New Zealand, England, India, Malaysia and Kenya will battle it out across five days in various Indian cities.
New Judges:
Chef Shaun Leonard, a 25-year F&B industry veteran, leads the BHMS Culinary Program in Luzerne, Switzerland. With 15 years of teaching experience, he has worked at renowned hotels like Hilton, Kempinski, and Royal Garden. Leonard is fluent in German and Spanish, and has mentored Switzerland’s YCO participants in the previous editions of the IIHM Young Chef Olympiad.
Chef Dato’ Zamzani Abdul Wahab, a renowned Malaysian celebrity chef, has made a significant impact on television and the culinary industry. He has been a brand ambassador for Philips Malaysia, Heinz ABC, and BOSCH Home Malaysia. Zamzani also serves as the managing director at Silverspoon International College and is the co-founder at Food Aid Foundation.
Chef Cyrus Rustom Todiwala (OBE, DL), an Indian chef, is known for his innovative approach to cuisine. He started his career as a hotel chef with the Taj Group and has since opened Café Spice Namasté, the longest-running Michelin-starred gourmand restaurant. Todiwala also owns and runs premium London restaurants, including Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen and Mr. Todiwala’s Petiscos, and opened The River Restaurant in Goa, India.
This year, along with the central theme of sustainability and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the theme is ‘Youth Diplomacy’. The theme upholds the power of the youth and celebrates them coming from all over the world to compete fiercely on a culinary table and celebrates the bonds they make through the competition.
Contestants and their mentors are first coming to Delhi for the grand opening ceremony to be held today in the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi. Day One of the first round will begin in Delhi on January 30. The first round will continue on the following day at IIHM’s Goa, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune campuses. The contestants will be divided into six groups, with 10 contestants in each group for round one.
This will be followed by the MoU signing ceremony and the United World of Young Chef round on February 1. The preliminary round result announcing the first 20 contestants will also be declared on this day. The first 10 will compete for the Grand Final and the next 10 will compete for the Plate Trophy, both to be held on February 3 in the Calcutta campus. The rest of the contestants, whose names will not appear in the first 20, will compete for the Dr Bose Challenge on February 2. The closing ceremony will be held at Nicco Park Wet O Wild on February 4. The United World of Young Chefs round is a special round where each participant, along with their mentor, will cook their respective national dish or one dish that best represents their country. The winner of the competition will receive a certificate, a cash prize of $5,000 (USD), a gold trophy and a golden chef cap.
Like every year, there will be a mix of national and international names on the judges’ panel. Along with YCO regulars like Sanjeev Kapoor and David Foskett, there will be new judges like Shaun Leonard and Dato’ Zamzani Abdul Wahab.
A major attraction of this year’s YCO is the food pop-ups by different chefs that will take place on February 2 at several Calcutta five-star hotels like Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences, The Westin Kolkata and Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata.
The YCO Regulars:
Professor David Foskett (OBE), a YCO regular, is the chairman of the YCO grand jury and former dean and head of the London School of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of West London. He is in the management committee of the Craft Guild of Chefs, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, and the Council of the Institute of Hospitality. He is a co-author of Practical Cookery, Theory of Hospitality and Catering, Food and Beverage Management, and Hospitality Supervision and Leadership. Foskett has won numerous awards, including the Queen’s Anniversary Award for exemplary hospitality education and the British Hospitality Centenary Award. In December 2023, he was awarded an OBE for services to the hospitality industry and inclusivity and has been voted one of the most influential people in the hospitality public sector.
Chef Sarah Hartnett will be appearing in the competition as a judge for the second time. She is a passionate pastry chef with extensive experience in the UK, Ireland, Europe and the Middle East. She has worked with Barry Callebaut, MonaLisa Studio, Cabosse, D’Orsogna, and La Morella Nuts. Passionate about using fresh ingredients, she shares her passion through cookbooks, classes, and events. Chef Hartnett is currently executive pastry chef for Smart Group.
Chef John Wood, a YCO regular, is the chief judge in the competition. He was executive chef at renowned kitchens, including The Burj Al Arab in Dubai and The Cliveden Hotel, and culinary director of The Grove, Hertfordshire. John has also worked with The Savoy, The Dorchester, and The Mount Nelson Hotels. This Michelin-star kitchen executive chef is the founder and managing director of a unique food and beverage management website, Kitchen CUT, which offers a variety of culinary and technological solutions.
The YCO Calendar:
January 29: The 10th edition of the Young Chef Olympiad commences with a grand opening ceremony at the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi.
January 30: Two groups out of the six — A and B — will compete in the first round, to be held in Delhi.
January 31: Groups C, D, E and F will have their first rounds in Goa, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.
February 1: Names selected for the Grand Final, Plate Trophy and Dr Bose Challenge will be announced and the United World of Young Chef and MoU signing ceremony will take place.
February 2: Contestants who will not qualify for the Grand Final and Plate Trophy, will compete in the Dr Bose Challenge to be held in IIHM Calcutta.
February 3: The top 10 contestants from the preliminary round will compete in the Grand Final. The next 10 contestants will compete for the Plate Trophy.
February 4: The award distribution and closing ceremony will be held in Nicco Park Wet O Wild. Pop-ups on
Feb 2:Global Dining Experience by Chef Manjunath Mural at Westin Kolkata Rajarhat Global Dining Experience by Chef Cyrus Rustom Todiwala at Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata Global Dining Experience by Chef Gary Maclean at Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences
