Finalists in the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition 2022 presented by La Rousse Foods

Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year

Top (l to r): Eoghan O'Flynn, Shauna Murphy,  Victor Franca, Attila Galambos

Bottom (l to r): Calum Falls, David Condon, Leticia Miranda

After an exciting & rigorous skills test semi-final, seven young talents go through to the final of the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition 2022 presented by La Rousse Foods

This year the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition celebrates its 30th anniversary — a proud 30-year record of supporting and nurturing young talent in the kitchens of some of Ireland’s best restaurants, promoting young chefs who are themselves mentored by some of the country’s leading talents.

Continuing the competitive journey that began for these young chefs in January, the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2022, competition presented by principal partners La Rousse Foods today announced that seven chefs will continue on to the grand final in September.

In January, 12 young chefs were selected for the semi-finals which took place yesterday, on Sunday May 29th in the professional kitchens of Dublin Cookery School, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Guest judges Richard Corrigan of The Corrigan Collection, Shauna Froydenlund formerly chef patron of Marcus at The Berkeley, Kieran Glennon of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud and Euro-Toques Commissioner General Gareth Mullins of The Marker Hotel chose the seven young talents following their skills test semi-final yesterday.

The seven chefs selected to go through to the final round of Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2022 are David Condon - The Shelbourne Hotel, Calum Falls -  Aimsir, Victor Franca - Nua Asador, Attila Galambos - Aniar Restaurant, Leticia Miranda - Mae Restaurant, Shauna Murphy – The Oak Room, Adare Manor and Eoghan O'Flynn - Liss Ard Estate.

During the course of today’s semi-final, the 12 participating young chefs were set two separate tasks — the first a skills test of following a recipe and the second of creating a dish based on a mystery basket of produce selected by the judging committee. Their tasks were to make a classic crème Anglaise with a recipe and method to be followed precisely, for which they were allocated a half hour, followed by a 90-minute task of producing a dish using mystery ingredients.

Focusing on local ingredients and the idea of reconnecting with friends and family, the semi-finalists were requested to create a family-style dish using mackerel and a surprise basket of ingredients, while also having access to other elements they selected themselves from the Pantry by La Rousse Foods, a selection that includes many award-winning Irish producers.

With Domini Kemp and Conor Halpenny running the kitchen, the young chefs worked hard to fulfil these two challenges, a test of all the skills essential in a kitchen including knife skills, palate, creativity, ability to plate, cooking, seasoning, technique, understanding of raw ingredients and ability to read a recipe. Then the 12 young hopefuls were marked on their execution and work practice, the taste and flavour of their various dishes, and presentation, with the skills set counting for 25% of the total and the mystery basket test for 75% of the total score.  

The seven selected finalists in the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition, will have the opportunity to experience a series of educational events over the summer months before the grand final in September, including a stay at Ballymaloe, a masterclass with Michelin-starred chef, Mark Froydenlund, a lunch at a Michelin starred restaurant and more.

The Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition presented by La Rousse Foods is Ireland’s premier culinary competition celebrating Ireland’s best emerging culinary talent. Open to professional chefs under the age of 28, the competition has a proven track record in discovering the finest young talent with former winners including Mark Moriarty who progressed to win the World San Pellegrino Young Chef Competition in 2015. Former 2017 winner Conor Halpenny is currently entering the 2022 World San Pellegrino Young Chef Competition. The young chef finalists in this year’s Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2022 are currently working in some of the country’s most exciting and sophisticated kitchens and being mentored by individual chefs with unique skill sets and talents. For all the young chefs taking part this contest is a unique experience that will provide recognition throughout Ireland and beyond, and act as a prestigious stepping-stone in their culinary career.

 

Full list with mentors

• David Condon  |The Shelbourne Hotel |Mentor: Andy Sommefeldt

• Calum Falls |Aimsir | Mentor: Jordan Bailey

• Victor Franca  |Nua Asador| Mentor: Ross Lewis

• Attila Galambos  |Aniar restaurant | Mentor: JP MacMahon

• Leticia Miranda |Mae Restaurant | Mentor: Gráinne O’Keefe

• Shauna Murphy |The Oak Room Adare Manor| Mentor: Killian Bowen

• Eoghan O'Flynn |Liss Ard Estate| Mentor: Alex Petit

S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 competition is live!

Phase One of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 competition is live. As of the 1^st of January until the 31^st of March all young chefs across the globe will have the opportunity to submit their applications together with their signature dish via www.finedininglovers.com. Fingers crossed we’ll have another successful year this year, as last year’s winner was our own, Mark Moriarty.

WORLDWIDE SEARCH BEGINS FOR S.PELLEGRINO YOUNG CHEF 2016

Following the resounding success of its first year, S.Pellegrino announces

its new search for the best Young Chef, the successor to the 2015 winner, Ireland’s Mark Moriarty

23^rd November, 2015 – Following a majorly successful first year with more than 3,000 applications submitted, S.Pellegrino—an ambassador of Italian taste and fine dining around the globe—is proud to launch S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016, the global scouting project to find the best young chef in the world.

In 2015, Ireland’s Mark Moriarty made history as the inaugural winner of the competition, wowing the judges with his Celeriac Baked in Barley and Fermented Hay and Cured and Smoked Celeriac with Toasted Hay Tea.

The unique initiative, dividing the world into 20 areas and involving around 100 top chefs as jurors across the globe, 20 young chef finalists, 20 chef mentors and a stellar chefs jury, reflects S.Pellegrino’s commitment to supporting emerging talents. Applications will start on 1^st Jan 2916 onwww.finedininglovers.com.

Irish chef Mark Moriarty, winner of the 2015 edition, commented on his positive experience: “I was delighted and honoured to be named S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015. The journey was an unforgettable and one-off experience that I will never forget. I met so many fantastic chefs along the way and the title has made an incredible difference to my career as a whole”.

S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 will feature a renewed panel of judges, the Seven Sages, which will be responsible for selecting the most talented young chef of the world. The jury will be composed of some of the world’s most renowned culinary masters, such as David Higgs, Carlo Cracco, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Mauro Colagreco, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack.

S.Pellegrino Young Chef is a global competition has several different different phases.

Phase One - Online Application

From the 1^st of January 2016 until March 31^st , all young chefs across the globe will have the opportunity to submit their application together with their signature dish in English viawww.finedininglovers.com, the online magazine for food enthusiasts proudly endorsed by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Applying young chefs must be no older than 30 and are required to have at least one year of experience working in a restaurant as chefs, sous chefs or chefs de partie.

Phase Two – Selection of Regional Shortlist and Regional Winner…

All candidates will be divided into 20 regions* according to their geographic origin, and their submissions will be evaluated by ALMA, the world’s leading international educational and training centre for Italian Cuisine (www.alma.scuolacucina.it). Throughout the month of April, ALMA will select the first ten finalists for each region following five Golden Rules: ingredients, skills, genius, beauty, and message.

…and Regional Finals (Phase Three)

The selected ten finalists of the 20 geographical areas will then move on to the Local Finals, where live competitions will be held locally in each region from the May 1^st to August 15^th. During these events, the area finalists will have to cook their signature dishes for an exclusive regional jury composed of independent top chefs, who will taste the dishes and select the winner, following the five Golden Rules. 

The selected ten finalists for each market will move on to the Local Finals, where live competitions will be held locally in each region from 1st May until 15th August. During these events, the area finalists will have to cook their signature dishes for an exclusive regional jury composed of independent top chefs, who will taste the dishes and select the winner, following the five Golden Rules.  The 2016 UK & Ireland judging panel includes fantastic chefs, such as Claude Bosi, Ollie Dabbous, Ireland’s JP McMahon of Aniar in Galway and Ross Lewis of Chapter One in Dublin.

By the end of August 2016, the 20 Best Regional Young Chefs from each world region will be announced as the official finalists. Each finalist will be assigned a Mentor Chef: a member of the regional jury, who will provide the young chefs with suggestions to improve their signature dishes and to help them prepare for the global finals. The UK & Ireland mentor chef will be two Michelin starred chef and owner of Hibiscus, Claude Bosi.

Phase Four – Grand Finale Event

On October 13^th 2016, all the Young Chef finalists will gather in Milan for the final phase, which will consist of a two-days intense cooking competition in front of the international panel of judges, the Seven Sages, that will award the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016.

The complete contest regulation and the application form will be available onwww.finedininglovers.com. The e-magazine will cover also each local and international phase of the project with exclusive contents, including the Live Grand Final in Milan.

Follow the competition via hashtag #SPYoungChef to never miss an update on the event. 

*THE 20 REGIONS

1.       Italy

2.       France

3.       Germany-Austria

4.       Switzerland

5.       Spain-Portugal

6.       UK-Ireland

7.       Russia/Baltics/CIS (ex Soviet Union)

8.       Scandinavia (Norway/Sweden/Finland/Denmark)

9.       East Europe

10.   BeNeLux

11.   Med Countries

12.   USA

13.   Canada

14.   Africa-Middle East

15.   Latin America - Caribbean

16.   Pacific (Australia/NZ/Pacific Islands)

17.   China

18.   Japan

19.  Northeast Asia (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines)

20.   Southeast Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and Maldive)

THE PHASES OF THE PROJECT

PHASE ONE: ONLINE APPLICATION – January - March 2016

Any young chef in the world can submit their application together with their signature dish atwww.finedininglovers.com. The chefs must be no older than 30 and are required to have experience of at least one year working in a restaurant as a chef, sous chef or chef de partie. The complete list of requirements will be available on the website.

PHASE TWO: GLOBAL SHORTLIST – April 2016

All candidates will be divided according to their geographic origin, representing 20 regions total*. ALMA, the world’s leading international educational and training centre for Italian Cuisine (www.alma.scuolacucina.it), will then select from the online applications the first 10 finalists for each region, according to five Golden Rules: ingredients, skills, genius, beauty, and message.

1.                   INGREDIENTS: Successfully selecting the best of what the market has to offer with regards to quality, freshness and uniqueness.

2.                   SKILLS: Successfully handling and transforming raw materials into a finished dish that respects its original essence.

3.                   GENIUS: Successfully exploring inedited, inspiring, unexpected prospects/outlooks, connected with fine dining culture with a personal and contemporary style, while maintaining a perfect balance of tastes and shapes.

4.                   BEAUTY: Dish presentation is part of the charm.

5.                   MESSAGE: Successfully communicating a clear message through work and personal vision.

PHASE THREE: LOCAL CHALLENGES – May 1 – August 15, 2016

The 10 finalists of each area will have to compete during a local event: each region will have a jury composed by at least independent famous chefs that will taste the signature dishes of the finalists and choose the best one, always according to the 5 Golden Rules.  By the end of August the 20best young chefs from all the regions of the initiative will be announced.

FINAL PHASE: S.PELLEGRINO YOUNG CHEF FINAL  – October 13 – 15, 2016  

In October in Milan, S.Pellegrino will host the final event to celebrate the best young chefs who have competed. An international jury of famous chefs will award the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016. 

press release

All the latest from Mark Moriarty's triumph as World Young Chef 2015

Press release

MARK MORIARTY FROM IRELAND IS THE S.PELLEGRINO YOUNG CHEF 2015

He took the glory, emerging at the end of a thrilling competition among 20 of the most talented chefs from all over the world.

The combo Maria José Jordan-Paula Cadematori, representing Latin America, won the two best Best Chef-Designer couple by the votes on Vogue.it. 

Xiao Li, from China, was awarded by Vogue Italia as Best Designer.

                                                                                                      

It all started in Autumn 2014, with more than 3,000 young chefs submitting their applications together with their signature dishes on www.finedininglovers.com.

Last night in Milan, after an exciting full day of competition and a Grand Final event, young Irish chef Mark Moriarty representing the Ireland-UK region has been awarded as theS.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015. He reached the top with Celeriac Baked in Barley and Fermented Hay, Cured and Smoked Celeriac and toasted hay tea, also thanks to the support of mentor Clare Smyth MBE, who has been at his side as guide and advisor.  

Mark emerged among twenty finalists, the world’s most talented young chefs, coming from different areas of the globe after a long and hard selection process.

On the stage with him, Peruvian Maria José Jordan representing Latin America, second in the list with her recipe Immortal Technique: Citrus, Rosemary, Gin, followed by Norwegian Christian André Pettersen, representing Scandinavia, with his recipe East meets West.

Winner of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015, Mark Moriarty said: “I feel extremely proud to have won a competition of this size and this calibre, representing the whole of the UK and Ireland. With my signature dish, I wanted to capture the essence of Ireland and present humble, locally sourced ingredients like celeriac and barley in a unique way. Ireland has a lot of potential to be a food destination and I would like to think that I can play a part in bringing innovation and excitement to the Irish food scene as I progress in my career.”

“I’m excited about this award. I’m also delighted of having been here these days with such wonderful people. It’s great for Ireland and the UK, and in particular for Ireland, to have gained this title of S.Pellegrino Young Chef. I want to thank my mentor chef Clare Smyth for the huge support and precious suggestions she gave me” said young chef Mark.

Mark Moriarty has been elected by an extraordinary jury of seven famous international chefs, also called the Seven Sages: Gastón Acurio, Yannick Alléno, Massimo Bottura, Margot Janse, Yoshihiro Narisawa, Joan Roca and Grant Achatz. 

In this extraordinary experience, S.Pellegrino had at its side a partner like ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine, the world’s leading educational and training center for Italian Hospitality (www.alma.scuolacucina.it), that selected the first 10 finalists for each region. Then, during the final phase in Milan, ALMA supported the young chefs and the organization with 25 Trainees, 3 Executive Chef and some of its most notable teachers, chef Giovanni Ciresa, Matteo Berti, Cristian Broglia, Piero Di Turi.

“ALMA is honored to be part of this international event that makes Milan the food&design capital – says Andrea Sinigaglia, ALMA general manager - two italian excellence that are in our school's DNA and that will mark the professional path of these young Chefs. The selection experience was amazing and involved more than 20 ALMA chefs, the organization of everything (ingredients and equipement) has been a great challenge, consistent with ALMA mission and with Expo 2015 aim”.

Thanks to the partnership with Vogue Italia, S.Pellegrino’s ally in its continuos effort to scouting and promoting talents, other important prizes have been awarded. Right before the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 proclamation, two prizes for the Best Chef-Designer couplehave been assigned.

Vogue Italia matched each young chef with an emerging designer, selected through an international scouting. These designers ideated a fashion creation inspired by their partner’s signature dish, thus giving birth to an unprecedented fusion between fine food and style.

The combo Maria José Jordan-Paula Cademartori have been elected thanks to the votes of all the guests attending the event, a parterre de rois made of vips, influencers, chefs, and international journalists. Maria Jose and Paula also won the other couple award, assigned by the web community via Vogue.it, the online edition of the highly renowned and influential magazine, where all the Chefs and Designers creations have been published, enabling food and fashion lovers from around the world to vote their favourite.

Last but not least, Vogue Italia elected the Best Designer, voted by a jury led by Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia, Editorial Director of Condé Nast Italia, Global Ambassador against Hunger (WFP), and composed by some of the Italian most influencial names in the field of fashion and design, like Massimo Giorgetti, Ennio Capasa, Alberta Ferretti, Sara Maino, Marlene Taschen, Giò Marconi.

During her speech, Franca Sozzani also announced that the collaboration with S.Pellegrino has been the occasion to to carry out a project to support the World Food Programmme. “We are really greateful to Franca Sozzani and S.Pellegrino for their efforts in figthing together against global hunger”declared Adele Rossetti, Director General of WFP Italia, after the announcement of the donation to WFP. “Their contribution will have a concrete impact on the life of those women - mothers, farmers, teachers and entrepreneurs - that hold the keys for a better future for themselves and their families. Women may be victims of hunger but they are also the most effective solution to combating and preventing it. Support from friends like S.Pellegrino e and Franca Sozzani is then absolutely crucial for WFP’s commitment to promote women’s empowerment.”

Finedininglovers.com, the online magazine for food enthusiasts proudly endorsed by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, provided and will continue to provide foodies exclusive contents about the project, with interviews, signature dishes and other information concerning the young chefs, the fashion designers and the Grand Final in Milan.

Here are the names of the awards winners:

·         S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015:  Mark Moriarty representing Ireland & UK

·         Best Chef-Designer couple: Maria José Jordan-Paula Cademartori, representing Latin America

·         Best Chef-Designer couple WEB: Maria José Jordan-Paula Cademartori, representing Latin America

·         Best Designer: Xiao Li, from China

Special thanks to: Cantine Ferrari, Electrolux, Giblor’s, Mauviel 1830, Nespresso.

Credits: Alessandro Rosso Group, Filmmaster Events, YAM112003, Ketchum.