{"id":10762,"date":"2021-11-15T10:54:04","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T08:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.food-blog.co.za\/joburg\/?p=10762"},"modified":"2021-11-15T10:54:04","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T08:54:04","slug":"winning-titles-gaining-connections-at-the-grand-finale-of-the-s-pellegrino-young-chef-academy-competition-2019-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.food-blog.co.za\/joburg\/winning-titles-gaining-connections-at-the-grand-finale-of-the-s-pellegrino-young-chef-academy-competition-2019-21\/","title":{"rendered":"Winning titles, gaining connections at the Grand Finale of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-21"},"content":{"rendered":"

Young Chefs from the Africa & Middle East region brought home two of the four global titles awarded at the Grand Finale of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-21 in Milan on 30th October.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

When the winners were announced at the long-awaited Grand Finale of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-21, <\/strong>two of the chefs from Africa & Middle East won in the categories of S.Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility<\/em> & Acqua Panna Award for Connection in Gastronomy<\/em>, the whole team celebrated with great jubilation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTo have two winners from our region is spectacular,\u201d says Ania Odyniecka<\/strong>, National Sales and Marketing Manager for S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna in South Africa, \u201cit highlights that we\u2019ve got an incredibly strong and culturally diverse region. I\u2019m very proud of them, they did a phenomenal job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n

Callan Austin<\/strong> from South Africa won the S.Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility<\/strong> with his dish \u2018The Ghost Net\u2019, a complex seafood dish highlighting the pollution plight of our oceans. \u201cIt\u2019s been a privilege to be a part of such an internationally recognised competition,\u201d he says. \u201cBeing picked from a group of incredibly talented chefs with forward thinking ideas on sustainability is a huge feather in my cap and a testament to South Africans that share the same vision. I hope to share my story back home, encouraging chefs and the public to be more socially responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elissa Abou Tasse<\/strong> from Lebanon won the Acqua Panna Award for Connection in Gastronomy<\/strong> with her dish \u2018Adam\u2019s Garden\u2019 using almost forgotten local ingredients and cooking over fire. She could not attend the Grand Finale in person due to travel restrictions and watched the live stream at home. \u201cIt\u2019s the olive harvest in Lebanon and all my family from abroad came to help. We were having dinner together when my award was announced. I screamed with joy – we made so much noise that the Lebanese Red Cross came, thinking something tragic was happening!\u201d She continues, \u201cThe Acqua Panna award for connection in gastronomy has been a defining moment in my career. Using my creativity on my dish led me to focus on research and development, which I\u2019m now doing in my country at Kanz Kitchen. Being part of the competition has accelerated my career. I\u2019m proud to be honoured – as a Lebanese woman chef working on a Levantine dish it gives the youth of my country much needed hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook-off<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul Prinsloo<\/strong> was among the ten global finalists competing in a 5 hour cook off for the grand title of S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award 2019-21. \u201cThe day was a bit tougher than I would have liked, there were some technical difficulties that were out of my hands,\u201d he says. \u201cAt the end of the day it\u2019s handling it and how you finish. I still managed to get all ten of my dishes out looking and tasting beautiful. I had some really good feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mentors played an important role in guiding and inspiring the young chefs. Paul\u2019s mentor chef Gregory Czarnecki was by his side throughout the weeks of preparation and during the cook-off. He says, \u201cAfter seeing the calibre of dishes delivered during the competition, it\u2019s a great feeling to know that the future of gastronomy is in good hands. The whole event was truly magical and really a fantastic platform for all young chefs from around the world to connect. Sanpellegrino honoured them by giving them such an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connection <\/strong><\/p>\n

The question often asked \u2013 what is the prize for winning the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award?. \u201cThe focus of the competition is more about networking and creating industry connections at the event.\u201d says Ania. \u201cThis experience provides opportunities for the chefs that they can build on, as also highlighted by previous winners who spoke at the Brain Food forum, sharing their journeys after competing in earlier editions, it was really wonderful to hear,\u201d<\/p>\n

Our young chefs discovered this for themselves. Paul says, \u201cThe experience I gained from the competition was much more valuable than winning the title. The number of friends I made and new people I met was amazing. One of the mentors was Julien Royer<\/strong> of Singapore Michelin star restaurant, Odette<\/strong>. To be told by a highly respected chef, \u2018Whenever you\u2019re in Singapore my door is always open for you,\u2019 these are opportunities you don\u2019t get anywhere else in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Callan also named these networking opportunities as a highlight, \u201cConnections with the other young chefs and listening to their thoughts about our industry was inspiring. And I got to discuss important topics with some of my chef idols, such as Massimo Bottura<\/strong>, Clare Smyth<\/strong> and Virgilio Martinez<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ania adds, \u201cThis networking gives the young chefs so many opportunities to further their careers and gain those friendships. With these connections they could then host future pop-up restaurants as they travel the world and experience different countries\u2019 cultures and cuisines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Workshops and learning opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n

The four-day programme added to the overall learning experience, with various workshops followed by the Brain Food forum<\/strong> led by Massimo Bottura<\/strong>. \u201cThe Brain Food Forum gave us an insight to what the great chefs are thinking,\u201d says Marcus Gericke<\/strong>, finalist for the Fine Dining Lovers\u2019 Food for Thought award.<\/strong> \u201cWe also learned a lot from our workshop on social media about how to put our profiles to the forefront and techniques to improve our social presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Callan took part in a workshop on sustainability led by Food Made Good<\/strong>, which equipped them with new insights, he says, \u201cLucia Perasso<\/strong> taught us how to evaluate any dish and give it a sustainability score. It was a real eye opener to how quickly a chef can make small mistakes on the path to sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for our four young chefs<\/strong><\/p>\n