The wait is over. The Grand Jury for S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25, the world’s most exciting culinary talent search, has been revealed.
These seven world-renowned chefs will choose the winner at one of the biggest events in global gastronomy, the S.Pellegrino Young Academy Competition Grand Finale, held in Milan next year, tasting the signature dishes of 15 young hopefuls in a final cook-off.
Ahead of that a series of Regional Finals will be taking place around the world in the coming months, each judged by a Local Jury of esteemed chefs, with the winner of each progressing to the Grand Finale in Milan. Only one will be crowned the best young chef in the world, a title won in 2023 by Portuguese chef Nelson Freitas. Head to the Academy website to find out more about both the Academy and the Competition.
So, who are these world-renowned chefs? Many have experience of the Competition as judges and mentors and will know exactly what it takes to win. Let’s meet them (pictured left to right, above).
Julien Royer
Royer, who was born into a family of fourth generation farmers in Cantal, France, is co-owner of Odette, a three Michelin-starred modern French restaurant located at the National Gallery Singapore. In addition to being chef-owner of Odette, he is chef-patron of Claudine, a French neo-brasserie in Singapore, as well as founder of one Michelin-starred Louise, a French bistronomy-style restaurant in Hong Kong. Odette has been inducted into the prestigious Les Grandes Tables Du Monde and in 2019, received three Michelin stars and topped the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In 2021 it ranked eighth on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Royer was a Grand Juror at the 2022-23 Competition, and a Local Juror and Grand Finale mentor in 2019-21.
Antonia Klugmann
Klugmann is chef-owner of Michelin-starred L'Argine in Vencò di Dolegna del Collio, in Gorizia, Italy. Born in Trieste, she studied law in Milan, before dropping out to pursue cooking. In 2006, at only 27 years old, she opened her first restaurant, in Udine. After four years, she bought a piece of land so she could design a structure from scratch that would suit her. L'Argine in Vencò opened in 2014, with a seasonal cuisine using ingredients typical and representative of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region’s rich biodiversity. Since 2022 Klugmann has been WWF Italy's Ambassador for the Food4Future campaign. She was a Local Juror and Grand Finale mentor in 2019-21.
Jeremy Chan
Chan is the chef and co-founder of Ikoyi. Born to a Canadian mother and Chinese father, he grew up between Hong Kong, Canada, and England, experiencing a diverse range of cuisines. After graduating from Princeton, he worked in Europe briefly before becoming a chef. In 2017, he opened Ikoyi with his childhood friend and now business partner, Iré Hassan-Odukale. Ikoyi has been awarded two Michelin stars and is ranked 42 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In Spring 2023, Phaidon published Chan’s debut cookbook, Ikoyi: A Journey through Bold Heat with Recipes.
Elena Reygadas
Reygadas is the chef-owner of Mexico City’s Rosetta, a Michelin-starred restaurant consistently featured on The World's 50 Best Restaurants and Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants lists. She also owns the Panadería Rosetta bakery. Her commitment extends beyond the kitchen to social and environmental causes. In 2022, she founded the Elena Reygadas Scholarship, aimed at supporting young culinary students, promoting equal opportunities, and fostering women's leadership in the culinary field. In 2019, she released her first book, Rosetta, featuring recipes and essays that reflect her unique perspective on food and its social dimensions. Reygadas was a Local Juror and Grand Finale mentor at the 2019-21 Competition.
Niki Nakayama
At n/naka, her highly acclaimed, two-Michelin-star restaurant in West Los Angeles, Nakayama wows with her modern take on traditional Japanese kaiseki. Born and raised in LA, Nakayama began her career at the popular Takao restaurant in Brentwood. After embarking on a three-year working tour of Japan, she returned to her hometown to open Azami Sushi Café on Melrose Avenue. After eight years Nakayama branched out to host elaborate chef’s table dinners that were the seed that grew into n/naka, a global destination for modern kaiseki rooted in California.
Mitsuharu Tsumura
Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura is a Peruvian chef of Japanese descent. His most personal project is Maido restaurant, in Lima, which has been open for 15 years. Maido has been recognized nationally as the Best Restaurant in Peru for five years in a row and is currently ranked number one on the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list (a position it also held from 2017 to 2019) and fifth on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Tsumura also runs Tori, in Lima, a roast chicken-focused restaurant, Mai Mai in Panama, and Karai by Mitsuharu in Chile. He was a local mentor in 2022-23 and a Local Juror and Grand Finale mentor at the inaugural Competition in 2015.
Christophe Bacquié
Bacquié began his career at L'Oasis in Mandelieu-La-Napoule with Stéphane Raimbault and Louis Outhier. He then moved on to various Parisian establishments, including Maison Prunier with Gabriel Biscay. In 2000, he became chef at La Villa Calvi hotel in Corsica, which quickly gained a first Michelin star in 2002, followed by a second in 2007. In 2018 his Table Gastronomique at the Hôtel et Spa du Castellet in the Var was awarded a third Michelin star. In 2023, Bacquié and his wife Alexandra opened their guest house and restaurant La Table des Amis, at Mas Les Eydins, in the Luberon, which was awarded two stars nine months after opening. Bacquié has been Meilleur Ouvrier de France-Cuisine since 2004. He was a Local Juror and a Grand Finale mentor at the last edition of the competition in 2022-23, having previously been a Local Juror in 2017.
