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The Grand Jury, or 'Seven Sages', who will preside over the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition Grand Finale 2022-23, have already been named as world-renowned chefs Pía León, Riccardo Camanini, Hélène Darroze, Vicky Lau, Julien Royer, Nancy Silverton and Eneko Atxa.
Discover the juries and dates of the regional finals announced so far, below.
LATAM — 19-20 September, Bogotà
Helena Rizzo, Debora Fadul, Lula Martin del Campo, Arlette Eulert and Rodolfo Guzmàn.
Helena Rizzo, from Porto Alegre in Brazil, worked at some of Europe's best restaurants, including El Celler de Can Roca, before returning to Brazil to open Maní, in 2006. The restaurant has held one Michelin star since 2015, and Helena was awarded the title of Best Female Chef, in Latin America in 2013, and in the world in 2014.
Chef-owner Debora Fadul’s Diacá, a one-table restaurant in Guatemala City, is the perfect expression of 'New Guatemalan Cuisine', exploring culinary expressions of Guatemala’s hundreds of microclimates.
Chef and award-winning cookbook author Lula Martín del Campo is from Mexico City. Her culinary vision is focused on three basic ingredients that define Mexican gastronomy – corn, beans and chilli peppers – and promoting sustainable product initiatives in partnership with small farmers.
Chef Arlette Eulert is the co-owner of Matria restaurant in Lima, Peru. Recognised internationally for her work to promote Peruvian gastronomy, she also teaches cooking at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and is the host of the television program Sabe a Perú.
Rodolfo Guzmán is the chef-owner of Boragó in Santiago, Chile. After a stint at Mugaritz in Spain, Guzmán returned to Chile to focus on the unique biodiversity of his country, introducing numerous techniques, ingredients and Chilean products to the world in his quest for a micro-seasonal cuisine rooted in a sense of place.
WEST EUROPE — 3-4 October
Stefan Heilemann, Léa Linster, Tim Boury, Mary Nohazic and David Martin.
After training under some great chefs, German-born Stefan Heilemann took over the newly opened Ecco Zurich kitchen, guiding it to two Michelin stars. Since June 2020, he has been head chef of the Widder Restaurant in the Widder Hotel, again gaining two Michelin stars.
Native Luxembourger Léa Linster was the first and, to date, only female winner of the Bocuse d’Or competition. The daughter of a pastry chef and cook, she took over the family business in her hometown of Frisange in 1982, a café-restaurant at the time, and shaped it into a fine dining restaurant, winning a Michelin star.
Tim Boury, of restaurant Boury in Roeselare, Belgium, was awarded a Michelin star one year after opening. After moving to another location (also in Roeselare) the restaurant was awarded its second star, and a third in 2022.
Born in Belley, France, in 1974, Mary Nohazic went to work in Stuttgart at the restaurant Alte Post, then on to Switzerland to Le Grand Pin in Peseux, and eventually to Schiff am See in Morat. Since 2007, she has been in Cheseaux-Noréaz at Table de Mary, winning the restaurant a Michelin star in 2017.
David Martin is a Franco-Spanish chef who has cooked all over the world, including with Alain Passard. He then took over La Paix, a classic brasserie in Brussels, Belgium, buying and reimagining it, and winning it two Michelin stars.
CENTRAL EUROPE — 4 October, Cologne
Christoph Kunz, Julia Komp, Tim Raue and Daniel Gottschlich.
Award-winning chef Christoph Kunz, of restaurant Alois in Munich, is also known for his appearances on Kitchen Impossible.
When chef Julia Komp's restaurant, Schloss Loersfeld in Kerpen, Germany, was awarded a Michelin star, she was youngest female chef in the country to achieve the feat, aged 27. She recently opened Sahila and Yu*lia in Cologne.
Tim Raue is one of Germany’s best-known chefs. His cuisine is Asian-inspired, combining Japanese, Thai and Chinese influences at his flagship Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin. His other projects include Brasserie Colette in Berlin, Munich and Constance, the Villa Kellermann in Berlin, and the Hanami by Tim Raue restaurant on TUI cruise ships.
Chef Daniel Gottschlich's cuisine is characterised by unusual, creative dishes. At two-Michelin-starred Ox & Klee, guests experience an experimental journey through the six tastes of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, fat and umami. This ambitious chef with a creative vision is self-taught.
UK — 11-12 October, London
Francesco Mazzei, Sally Abé, Claude Bosi, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Skye Gyngell and Sat Bains.
Francesco Mazzei has worked in Rome, London, Edinburgh, Milan and Bangkok. In 2008, he opened his first London restaurant, L’Anima, with a menu inspired by the cuisines of Calabria, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia.
After cutting her teeth at the likes of Brett Graham's The Ledbury, and Phil Howard's Elystan Street, Sally Abé rose to fame at The Harwood Arms. She's now at the helm of The Pem inside the Conrad London St James hotel, along with three accompanying establishments.
Claude Bosi is one of the best chefs working in the UK today. After rising to the top at his restaurant, Hibiscus, he now mans the kitchen at two-Michelin-starred Bibendum in London.
Lisa Goodwin-Allen is a British chef best known for being executive chef of the Michelin-starred Northcote restaurant in Lancashire. She’s also a regular face on British TV and won the BBC's cooking show Great British Menu.
Originally from Australia, Skye Gyngell rose to prominence as head chef at Petersham Nurseries. She now has her own restaurant, Spring, in Somerset House, with an emphasis on simple, zero-waste cookery.
Sat Bains is best known for being the chef-owner of the two-Michelin-star Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms in Nottingham, England. He won the Roux Scholarship in 1999, and has worked in France. Bains was also one of the winners of Great British Menu in 2007.
PACIFIC — 17 October, Sydney
Josh Niland, Jacqui Challinor and Peter Gilmore.
Chef Josh Niland, from Sydney, has transformed the way we cook, transport, age and store fish. His ethical, sustainable and revolutionary approach to zero-waste whole-fish cooking has received global recognition. He is a multi-award-winning chef, restaurateur and James Beard-winning author.
Chef Jacqui Challinor oversees both Nomad Sydney and Melbourne and is working on future restaurant openings. She is also involved in several charities, including OzHarvest CEO Cook Off and #CookForTheBush.
Peter Gilmore is the executive chef at Bennelong in the Sydney Opera House, and Quay across the harbour in The Rocks. He is one of the most awarded chefs in Australia.
NORTH EUROPE — 24-25 October, Copenhagen
Tommy Myllymäki, Kamilla Seidler, Heidi Pinnak, Jacob Jan Boerma and Mark Moriarty.
Tommy Myllymäki is executive chef and restaurateur at Michelin-starred Aira in Stockholm. He has competed twice for Sweden at the Bocuse D’Or, and coached the Swedish team in 2019.
Heidi Pinnak has represented her native Estonia at the Bocuse d’Or and is currently the chef at Brasserie 11 in Tallinn.
Making her name at Gusto in La Paz, Bolivia, where she was named Best Female Chef in 2016 by LatAm’s 50 Best Restaurants, Kamilla Seidler has since returned to her native Denmark, where she is a partner in Restaurant Lola, Copenhagen.
Jacob Jan Boerma’s restaurant De Leest in Vaassen, Netherlands, held three Michelin stars for over 17 years before the chef decided to close it and start again. Today he is the chef at Boerma, and culinary advisor for restaurant Voltaire in Leersum, The White Room in Amsterdam and Fine Fleur in Antwerp, all of which hold a star.
Irish chef Mark Moriarty won the S.Pellegrino Young chef Academy Competition in 2015. Since then, he has cooked around the world, bringing his pop-up restaurant on tour, and been listed in Forbes’ 30 under 30 for innovation in the arts sector. He was part of the team at The Greenhouse restaurant in Dublin, which won its second Michelin star in 2019 and has become a fixture on Irish TV. He is soon to open his own restaurant.
CANADA — 24-25 October, Toronto
Christine Cushing, Suzanne Barr and Patrick Kriss.
Christine Cushing completed the Food and Beverage Management Program at George Brown College in Toronto and went on to graduate from the Paris-based École de Cuisine La Varenne. She has worked in kitchens such as Toronto’s The Four Seasons Hotel and Scaramouche Restaurant, and is a regular on Canadian TV.
Suzanne Barr is one of North America’s most respected chefs, with a signature flair for Afro-Caribbean comfort food. She featured in the documentary, The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution, and as a resident judge on Food Network Canada’s series, Wall of Chefs. Suzanne regularly advocates for food security, people of colour, mental wellness, equal pay for equal work, LGBTQ communities, nutrition literacy and food source sustainability.
From Toronto to New York to France, chef Patrick Kriss has worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens around the world, including Michelin-starred Daniel in New York. Today, he is the founder of Alo Group, a celebrated collection of restaurants and spaces, which includes Alo, a contemporary French restaurant in downtown Toronto, and its off-shoot bistro, Aloette, as well as Alobar Yorkville and Salon.
US — 24-25 October, N.Y.C.
Sean Brock, Adrienne Cheatham, Philip Tessier, Nina Compton and Ignacio Mattos.
Sean Brock is known for his involvement in the repatriation of the Southern pantry and cuisine over the past 20 years. For over a decade, he was the chef and partner of McCrady’s and McCrady’s Tavern in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the founding chef of Husk Restaurants, located in Charleston, Nashville and Savannah. In 2019, he put down roots in Nashville to open four ambitious restaurant endeavours: Joyland, The Continental, Audrey and June.
Chef Adrienne Cheatham worked at three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, under Eric Ripert, as executive sous chef. She later joined chef Marcus Samuelsson as corporate chef de cuisine, and was recently a chef-in-residence at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Cheatham’s debut cookbook, Sunday Best, was released in April 2022.
Formerly executive sous chef at The French Laundry, Philip Tessier coached the gold-winning USA team at Bocuse d’Or 2017, following his own silver medal in 2015 – the first American to ever reach the podium.
A James Beard Award-winner, Nina Compton is chef-owner of the award-winning restaurant Compère Lapin in New Orleans. Her second restaurant venture, Bywater American Bistro (BABs), is located in New Orleans’ Bywater neighbourhood. She began her professional journey at Daniel in New York City, with chef/restaurateur Daniel Boulud and his team.
Ignacio Mattos is the chef and founder of Mattos Hospitality, which comprises New York restaurants Estela, Altro Paradiso, and Lodi. Since moving to Manhattan nearly two decades ago, the Uruguay-born chef has developed a bold, deceptively simple style of food.
MAINLAND CHINA — 26-27 October
Jacqueline Qiu, Zhang Yong, DeAille Tam, Stefan Stiller and Stefano Bacchelli.
Born in Shanghai, Jacqueline Qiu has worked with Jean Georges in Shanghai and is currently senior manager of F&B Operations for Hilton Hotels Greater China and Mongolia. The first female executive chef in mainland China, she has a long history with the Academy competition, serving as a local juror and mentor.
Hailing from Taizhou in Zhejiang Province, Zhang Yong now has eight restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, with a total of 12 Michelin stars. He has almost single-handedly made a name for Taizhou cuisine outside of Zhejiang, and has made Taizhou a popular foodie destination.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, DeAille Tam moved to Shanghai in 2016 to head Bo Shanghai, which was awarded a Michelin star just a year after it opened. Named Asia’s Best Female Chef 2021 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, her focus now is her fine dining restaurant Obscura, also one-Michelin-star rated.
Originally from Germany, Stefan Stiller relocated to Shanghai in 2004. His Taian Table, an innovative and sophisticated restaurant centred around an open kitchen, was launched in 2016 and quickly received a Michelin star. In 2019, the restaurant received a second star, and in 2021, a third.
Originally from Tuscany, Italy, Stefano Bacchelli worked for a decade at Da Vittorio in Bergamo, under the Cerea family, before taking up the position of executive chef at Da Vittorio Shanghai. In 2021, the restaurant was awarded its second Michelin star.
ASIA — 29-30 October, Singapore
Thitid Tassanakajohn, Pichaya Utharntharm, Daniel Calvert, Vanessa Huang and Dave Pynt.
Culinary Institute of America graduate Thitid 'Ton' Tassanakajohn has worked at the likes of Eleven Madison Park, The Modern and Jean-Georges in New York City. At Michelin-starred Le Du in Bangkok he uses modern cooking techniques to produce original and delicious Thai food, with a focus on seasonality and sustainability.
Trained at three-star Jean-Georges in the US, chef Pichaya 'Pam' Utharntharm has appeared on Forbes’ '30 Under 30' list and as a judge on 'Top Chef'. Now based back in her hometown of Bangkok, she has her own restaurant, POTONG, and is recognised as one of the most influential chefs in Thailand.
Daniel Calvert is the executive chef of Sézanne, in the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo in Marunouchi. Thanks to his vision and technique, the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star less than six months after opening.
Taiwanese chef Vanessa Huang trained under chef Pascal Barbot at three-Michelin-starred Astrance in Paris. In 2014, she returned to Taiwan to open Ephernité. She was named in Asia's top nine female chefs by the Michelin Guide in March 2019.
Australian Dave Pynt is the chef-owner of Burnt Ends Hospitality Group, which includes Burnt Ends, a one-Michelin-starred modern barbecue restaurant in Singapore. He has worked alongside some of the world's culinary heavyweights, including Rene Redzepi, Victor Arguinzoniz, Nuno Mendes and Tetsuya Wakuda.
SOUTH-EAST EUROPE — 8 November, Zagreb
Jeffrey J Vella, Avivit Priel Avivchai, Georgianna Hiliadaki, Iwona Niemczewska and Oana Coanta.
Maltese chef Jeffrey J Vella has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse, and currently heads up the Cap Aureo restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia.
Tel Aviv-based chef Avivit Priel Avivchai is the co-founder of Ouzeria, where she serves a colourful and fresh Mediterranean cuisine washed down with anis-based drinks and delicious cocktails.
Chefs Georgianna Hiliadaki and Nikos Roussos are the co-founders of the Modern Greek Food Group (MGFG) Its flagship is the two-Michelin-starred Funky Gourmet restaurant in Athens, where Greek cuisine is given an avant-garde twist. The group also has several restaurants in London.
A former lawyer who swapped her profession for cooking, Iwona Niemczewska is the chef-owner of Lustra restaurant in Szczecin, Poland, where she crafts an expansive cuisine inspired by her travels and time working at the likes of Hibiscus and Murano in London.
Born in Transylvania, Romania, and now located in the city of Brașov, Oana Coanta opened Bistro de l’Arte in December 2000. She seeks to encourage other Romanian chefs to be proud of their gastronomic heritage, and in 2019 was awarded the title of best female chef in the country by Gault & Millau.
IBERIAN COUNTRIES — 28 November
Miguel Rocha, Maca de Castro and Eduard Xatruch.
Having worked at elBulli, Eduard Xatruch, along with Oriol Castro and Mateu Casañas, established the similarly progressive Disfrutar restaurant in Barcelona. The restaurant now holds two Michelin stars, while the trio continue to be involved with the elBulli Foundation.
Maca de Castro trained at the Escola d'Hoteleria de les Illes Balears, and went on to work alongside chefs such as Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mugaritz), Willy Dufresne (Wd-50) and the Arzaks (Arzak). Her eponymous restaurant in d'Alcúdia, Mallorca, holds one Michelin star, as well as a Michelin green star.
Miguel Rocha Vieira is the only Portuguese chef today to simultaneously run three restaurants with a Michelin star: Fortaleza do Guincho in Cacais, Portugal, Costes Restaurant and Costes Downtown in Budapest, Hungary. He has also been a judge on Masterchef Portugal.
AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST & SOUTH ASIA — 23-24 January 2023, Cape Town
Tala Bashmi, Siba Mtongana and Selassie Atadika.
Bahrain-born chef Tala Bashmi has spent time studying and working in Switzerland, and is well known for her appearances on Top Chef, and for her restaurant Fusions by Tala on the rooftop of the five-star Gulf Hotel in Bahrain. She was awarded Middle East & North Africa’s Best Female Chef Award 2022.
Star of the award-winning Siba’s Table on the Food Network, Siba Mtongana is an entrepreneur and a best-selling cookbook author. 2015’s My Table won two prestigious awards at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in China, where the author was the first South African ever to win the Special Award of the Jury.
Selassie Atadika completed her culinary education at The Culinary Institute of America. Her company, Midunu, a nomadic private dining enterprise in Accra, Ghana, embodies ‘New African Cuisine’. She was also a finalist in the 2019 Basque Culinary World Prize.
ITALY — 28-29 January 2023
Donato Ascani, Giuseppe Iannotti, Viviana Varese, Jessica Rosval and Andrea Aprea.
From Lazio, Donato Ascani worked for chef Enrico Crippa at Alba’s Piazza Duomo before going to work for Enrico Bartolini. He now heads up Bartolini’s Glam restaurant at the Palazzo Venart in Venice, which was awarded its second Michelin star in 2019.
Giuseppe Ianotti is the chef-owner of Krésios restaurant on the outskirts of Telese Terme, where the self-taught chef creates a refined and contemporary cuisine informed by meticulous research. Krésios was awarded its second Michelin star in the 2022 guide.
Viviana Varese is a chef driven by social action, and is the culinary force behind Michelin-starred Viva restaurant in Milan. With a strong focus on fish and seafood in her Campania-inspired cuisine, Varese seeks to provide opportunities for marginalised people through her work.
Canadian chef Jessica Rosval fell in love with the cuisine of Massimo Bottura on a trip to Italy, so much so that she approached him about a job. Cut to almost a decade later, and after a stint at Bottura’s flagship Osteria Francescana restaurant, Rosval now heads up the kitchen at Casa Maria Luigia, the Francescana group’s luxury retreat just outside Modena.
After 10 years as executive chef of the two-Michelin-starred VUN restaurant in Milan, Andrea Aprea took on the restaurant and bar-bistro at the Etruscan Museum in the city. Straddling both traditional and contemporary Italian cuisine, Aprea’s food is also inspired by his various travels and experiences in cities such as London and Kuala Lumpur.
FRANCE — 30 January 2023
Adrien Cachot, Jessica Prealpato, Christophe Bacquié, Stéphanie Le Quellec and Alexandre Mazzia.
Adrien Cachot is a young chef with Catalan origins from Bordeaux who has competed in the Academy competition at the regional finals stage. He has a talent for highlighting lesser loved ingredients such as offal, to create a unique culinary identity.
In 2019 Jessica Prealpato was the first woman to be awarded the title of The World’s Best Pastry Chef by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Leading pastry at Paris’s three-star Plaza Athénée restaurant under Alain Ducasse, Prealpato focuses on sweets with reduced sugar and fat.
Awarded the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2004, chef Christophe Bacquié has established his eponymous three-star restaurant as one of the premier gastronomic destinations in Provence.
Stéphanie Le Quellec is the chef behind two-star La Scène and MAM in Paris, and is one of France’s brightest culinary talents, mixing high gastronomy with simplicity to create exceptional food.
France’s latest member of the three-Michelin-star club, Alexandre Mazzia combines the flavours of Provence and the Congo of his childhood at his restaurant AM in Marseille.
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