The journey to the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 Grand Finale has begun, and three Irish chefs have been successful in reaching the competition’s semi final. They have been selected from thousands of applications submitted by young chefs from over 90 different countries, all of them looking for their chance to be part of S.Pellegrino’s global talent search for the world’s best young chef - a unique occasion to meet culinary talents from across the globe, share ideas, come into contact with different culinary cultures and learn.
As part of the competition, 10 semi-finalists have been selected from the Ireland/UK region and three of those are chefs based in Irish restaurants across the country. Killian Crowley, Chef de Partie at Galway’s Aniar Restaurant will compete with his Turbot, kohlrabi, sea purslane dish at the finals this month. Michael Tweedie, head chef at The Oakroom Restaurant at Adare Manor, will present his Duncannon Lobster ravioli of scallop, lobster and basil, lightly spiced lobster bisque at the event in London. Finally Chef de Partie at The Clayton, Dublin Airport, Romuald Bukaty will submit his ‘Hey John Dory’ dish for the competition.
These semi-finalists will compete in their local challenge in Aveqia, London on Monday November 20. The jury will be composed of leading independent chefs, including Finnish-born and Dublin-based chef, Mickael Viljanen. Hailing from the Michelin-starred Dublin restaurant, The Greenhouse, Viljanen made his name with Gregan's Castle in the Burren and has twice been named Best Chef in Ireland. Mickael will be joined by chefs Angela Hartnett, Alyn Williams and Phil Howard, who will judge the semi-finalists’ signature dishes and select the best dish to take part in the finals next year.
The inaugural edition of the global talent search for the best young chef in the world saw Irishman Mark Moriarty crowned S.Pellegrino Young Chef in 2015. He went on to become a worldwide ambassador for Irish food. The quartet of top judges will be hoping for a comeback by spotting the best homegrown talent in this third edition of the competition.
By the end of December 2017, the 21 Young Chefs from around the globe will be announced as the official finalists who will move on to the Grand Finale, to be held in June 2018. Each finalist will be assigned a “Mentor Chef” (a member of their regional jury), who will provide them guidance on how to improve their signature dishes and support them in their preparation for the international finals.
