9th Intl Young Chef Olympiad 2023 Culinary Competition, Round One held

Hyderabad, January 31, 2023: Nine young chefs from 9 different countries of the world participated in the Round 1 of the International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) in the Hyderabad campus of the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) at Gachibowli on Tuesday. The participating countries in the competition are 1 New Zealand, 2 Jordan, 3 South Africa,  4 Sweden, 5 Uzbekistan, 6 Spain, 7 USA, 8 Portugal, 9 Namibia.

This is the first time out of eight seasons held so far, the Hyderabad city is chosen for Round one competition, informed Earnest Immanuel, Director, IIHM Hyderabad
 
According to Dr Suborno Bose, Chairman, IIHM, It is the first major culinary Olympiad ever held anywhere in the world, post pandemic
 
50 participants from 50 countries are divided into ten each and are participating in different cities.  Nine participants from nine different countries have participated in Round One held in Hyderabad.  One participant was chosen from one country.  From India, one hotel management student was chosen from Kolkata and is one out of the total 50 participants.  40 per cent of participants are girls and the rest are boys.  And they all are hotel management students from reputed institutions from across the world. 
 
The participants of the round-1 were Ahmad Ben Hisham Joma Thaher from Jordan, Gheanen Cyril Rudolph from Namibia, Michelle Jane Burling-Claridge from New Zealand, Aderito Lamoza from Portugal, Joel Saiz Martoell from Spain, Carla Rye from Sweden, Amy Christina Fox Martin from South Africa, Chantelle Gonsalves from USA and Shokhruzkhon Umidovich Ibragimov from
Uzbekistan.
 
The culinary battle, which began in the morning, saw these young chefs showcasing their culinary skills in a 3.5 hours skills test and preparation of a vegetarian dish and dessert.
 
The contestants were evaluated by an esteemed panel of international judges, including Adjudicator Chef Enzo Oliveri, The Sicilian Chef & Chef Entrepreneur (London), Technical Judges Chef Chalapathi Rao, Managing Partner Simply South Restaurants, Chef Dharmender Lamba, Executive Assistant Manager - Food & Beverage, Hotel Trident Hyderabad, Chef Stephen Carter, Executive Chef, Boodles London, Tasting Judges Chef Mario Perera, Executive Chef, Hotel The Dorchester London, and Chef Manjunath Mural, Michelin Star Chef, Director of Cuisine, Adda Restaurant, Singapore.
 
“The competition aimed to test the participants’ culinary skills, creativity, and knowledge of different cuisines, as well as their ability to work under pressure. It was not just a competition but also an opportunity to network, collaborate and do friendship and cultural exchange said Earnest Immanuel, Director, IIHM Hyderabad
 
The leading 10 competitors from five rounds will go to Grand Final; the next 10 competitors filling the 11 th to 20 th positions will compete for the Plate Trophy and the remaining competitors will take part in the YCO Dr Suborno Bose Challenge. The competition is held in three different rounds in five different Indian cities such as Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Goa and Hyderabad.  The competition began in Delhi on 29th and will conclude with finals on 4th February. 
 
The Grand Final’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medallists; the Plate Trophy Winner; the YCO Dr Suborno Bose Challenge Winner and all other Award Winners will be announced at the Closing Awards Ceremony on the evening of 4 th February 2023.
 
While the Gold winner will be awarded a US$ 5,000 prize, the Silver winner will bag US$ 3,000, and the Bronze winner $2,000.
 
The IIHM Young Chef Olympiad 2023 is a joint initiative of the International Hospitality Council UK and the International Institute of Hotel Management. IIHM, the International Institute of Hotel Management is the largest chain of premier Hospitality and Hotel Management schools across India
 
2023 being the International Year of Millets, the 9th International IIHM Young Chef Olympiad 2023 is also promoting Millets in a big way, putting a spotlight on them as well as on sustainability.