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| Young Chef Olympiad | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Culinary competition |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location | India |
| Country | India |
| Inaugurated | 2015 |
| Founder | Suborno Bose |
| Organised by | International Institute of Hotel Management |
| Website | ycolympiad |
The Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) is an annual international culinary competition for student chefs, organised by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM). Founded by Suborno Bose, it was first held in 2015. The competition has been held in several Indian cities, with final rounds normally held in Kolkata.[1][2]
Format
[edit]The Olympiad is contested by students representing participating countries and culinary institutions. Its format has varied by edition, generally comprising preliminary rounds in multiple Indian cities followed by a final in Kolkata.[3] The 2021 and 2022 editions were conducted virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5]
Editions
[edit]| Edition | Dates | Format and locations | Reported participation | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2015 | Kolkata | 15 countries | Ashwin Malaysia |
Marcin Spain |
Tajinder United Kingdom |
| 2nd | 27 January–2 February 2016 | Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata | Over 50 countries | Daniella Garmond Canada |
Gabriela Aleksandrova Hristova United Arab Emirates |
Johan Kurkela (Finland) and Fernando Andres Guajardo Moguel (Mexico), joint |
| 3rd | 28 January–2 February 2017 | Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata | Over 45 countries | Tham Jiajun Mathew Singapore |
Andrew Ou Kai Peng Malaysia |
Selah Schmoll Canada |
| 4th | 28 January–2 February 2018 | Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata | Over 50 countries | Lai Jia Yi Malaysia |
Surya Sekhar Roy Choudhury India |
— |
| 5th | 28 January–2 February 2019 | Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata | 50 countries | Cyrène Randrianasolo France |
Bogdan-Petru-Alin Vandici Romania |
Luke Hayward England |
| 6th | 28 January–2 February 2020 | Delhi, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata | 55 countries | Chen Khai Loong Malaysia |
Austin Cale Labago Philippines |
Bethany Collins England |
| 7th | 31 January–6 February 2021 | Virtual | 50 countries | Lee Maan Ki Hong Kong |
Srijaenthi Natraj United Arab Emirates |
Jessica Louise Hoskins New Zealand |
| 8th | 2022 | Virtual | 46 countries | Matteo Cignetti Italy |
Chong Jia De Singapore |
Halldor Haflidason Iceland |
| 9th | 29 January–4 February 2023 | Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, Bengaluru, Pune and Kolkata | More than 50 countries | Emil Zeynalzade Azerbaijan |
Patiphon Lertsuakitti Thailand |
Naureen Shaikh India |
| 10th | 29 January–4 February 2024 | Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa and Kolkata | 60 countries | Leyla Valiyeva Azerbaijan |
Clifford Jeff Cadunggo Unabia (Philippines) and Kamal Thapa (Nepal), joint | Francesco Orsi Italy |
| 11th | 2–8 February 2025 | Goa, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata | 50 countries | Kamran Taylor England |
Arsen Armenakyan Armenia |
Yves Gabriel Cabrera Po Philippines |
| 12th | 1–6 February 2026 | Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Goa and Kolkata | 40 countries | Enri Cuedari Albania |
Dominic Thomas Grundy England |
Vidanagamage Rumira Reshan Piyasiri Sri Lanka |
History
[edit]The first Young Chef Olympiad was held in Kolkata in 2015, with participants from 15 countries. The following editions expanded the competition to preliminary rounds in several Indian cities before a final round in Kolkata.[6][7]
The 2018 edition took place in Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata.[8] The 2019 edition was held in Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata from 28 January to 2 February, with participants from 50 countries.[9]
The 2020 event used venues in Delhi, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata and involved participants from 55 countries.[10] The 2021 and 2022 editions were conducted virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12]
The competition returned to an in-person format in 2023. That edition was held in Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, Bengaluru, Pune and Kolkata.[13] The 2024 edition included 60 participants from different countries.[14]
Results
[edit]The early-edition results were reported in contemporary coverage.[15][16] Cyrène Randrianasolo won the 2019 competition and Chen Khai Loong won in 2020.[17][18]
Matteo Cignetti won the 2022 edition, while Emil Zeynalzade won in 2023 and Leyla Valiyeva won in 2024.[19][20][21]
Kamran Taylor won the 2025 edition. Enri Cuedari won the 2026 edition; its final was held in Kolkata.[22][23]
References
[edit]- ↑ "IIHM to host first International 'Young Chef Olympiad' in Kolkata". Financial Express. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Luke flies flag for England at Young Chef Olympiad in India". University College Birmingham. January 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad 2025 kicks off in Goa with artificial intelligence in focus". The Telegraph. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "WelTec ākonga placed third in the world's largest digital culinary competition" (PDF). Whitireia and WelTec. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad 2022 called it a wrap with a grand closing ceremony". The Telegraph. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "IIHM to host first International 'Young Chef Olympiad' in Kolkata". Financial Express. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad: Chefs from world over to compete for the top spot in India". Hindustan Times. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "International Young Chef Olympiad 2018 kickstarts". Businessworld. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "India to host 5th Young Chef Olympiad in Jan". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "The sixth edition of IIHM Young Chef Olympiad is here, knocking at the door!". The Telegraph. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "WelTec ākonga placed third in the world's largest digital culinary competition" (PDF). Whitireia and WelTec. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad 2022 called it a wrap with a grand closing ceremony". The Telegraph. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "9th International Young Chef Olympiad kicks off Jan 29, 2023". Gomantak Times. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Young champ of 10th International IIHM Young Chef Olympiad hopes to inspire girls to become chefs". The Telegraph. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Singapore wins 3rd edition of Young Chef Olympiad, 2017". Travel Daily News Asia. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Malaysian chef wins International Young Chef Olympiad 2018". The Asian Age. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Cyrène Randrianasolo remporte la médaille d'Or du concours YCO 2019". Lycée Albert de Mun (in French). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Benildean Austin Labago bags silver in Young Chef Olympiad 2020". The Benildean. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Italy bags top title at Young Chef Olympiad 2022". The Telegraph. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Whitireia and WelTec student finishes fifth out of 50 in global Young Chef competition". Whitireia and WelTec. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Nepali youth bags first runner-up title in Young Chef Olympiad". The Kathmandu Post. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "England wins IIHM's Young Chef Olympiad; India-UAE lift Dr. Suborno Bose Challenge Trophy". PR Newswire. International Institute of Hotel Management. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Kitchen CUT sponsor the Young Chef Olympiad 2026 with special award". Kitchen CUT. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.