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Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
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When the world of food met at IIHM Kolkata, for a better world
50 Young Chef Olympians wore their national dress, cooked their national dish but brought the world together on the same plate; ten Grand Finalists, and Plate finalists of YCO 25 also announced but everyone is a clear winner KOLKATA, India, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- No where else will one find Bhutan next to Ethiopia, or India next to South Korea, their culinary flavours wafting around in a truly global environment, with countries like Australia, Botswana close by, but at the food stalls arena of the United World of Young Chefs — a non-competitive event, at the IIHM Global Campus in Kolkata, a major event of the Young Chef Olympiad, the largest congregation of young chefs in the world, the only such coming together of 50 chefs from fifty countries, together, literally cooking up a culinary storm of unity, solidarity, sustainability and togetherness. UWYC is a celebration of friendship and camaraderie, offering Young Chef Olympians a chance to experience solidarity through culinary arts amidst the intense competition Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman IIHM & Chairman YCO, told the media, "This is absolutely unique. 50 countries put their best foot forward and their best food forward, in the same place, wearing their national attire with pride. This is culinary nationalism flavoured with unity as an essence of mankind. This is beyond just food, but food is indeed the X factor, which brings so many nations across the world in this beautiful Young Chef's movement, a movement of harmony." "Dishes of participating countries in respective host cities create awareness and break cultural barriers through the universal language of food," said Prof. David Foskett OBE and Chairman of the Jury of YCO. At the Global Campus of the IIHM on Wednesday night, culinary art was blended with the colourful national attire worn by the young student chefs. Thus, a Hanbok from South Korea, Gho (for men) from Bhutan, a Shamma from Ethiopia and a Thobe from Saudi Arabia were dresses the chefs proudly wore — quite literally wearing their identity and pride, on their sleeves. This year's edition introduced an exciting twist, where the national dishes were open to public vote, allowing the world to determine the most popular national dish. Meanwhile, as the evening drew a close, the moment of reckoning arrived as the selection of teams for the Grand Finale, the Plate Trophy and the Dr. Suborno Bose challenge was announced based on their rankings after their Round one competition. The top ten countries, who were the Grand Finalists, will display their culinary skills for the Golden Toque to be presented to the Champion; those placed between 11 and 20 qualified to compete for the Plate Trophy; while the remaining countries were grouped in pairs and competed, as collaborators, for the Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge today, February 6. These results announced on Wednesday, February 5, evening saw the following Young Chef Olympians becoming the Grand Finalists: Abdulaziz Saleh Bedeiry, Saudi Arabia; Syed Aftab Ali, Uganda; Kamran Taylor, England; Yves Gabriel C Po, Philippines; George Mutwiri Liech, Kenya; Shirin Moosaee, Iran; Lim Qi Yi, Malaysia; Alicia Dzithendo Muvhirwa, South Africa; Ozodbek Odilov, Uzbekistan; and Arsen Armenakyan, Armenia. Countries in the plate finals are Nepal, France, Bhutan, Mexico, Wales, Nigeria, Albania, Sweden, Azerbaijan and South Korea. The Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge prize, which the remaining 28 nations will compete for, is actually a flagship competition of culinary collaboration, unlikely to be witnessed anywhere else globally. Paired into 14 groups, two countries with diverse culinary cultures had their representatives cooking together to win the prize. If food brings countries together, this competition, in the Young Chef Olympiad, is a visible manifestation of it. Those who made it to the Grand Finals were elated. Young Chef Olympian Kamran Taylor of England said, "I'm very happy to be in the top ten. I didn't expect it but am looking forward to the Grand Finale and wishing everyone in England as well." Shirin Moosaee from Iran chipped in excitedly, "I'm really excited, very nervous about it, but very happy and excited about it, and thank God I was successful." Alicia Dzithendo Muvhirwa of South Africa exuded confidence and said, "I'm happy, of course, but am confident of my talent." She added, laughing, "Watch out for South Africa." The Chairman of the Grand Jury, David Foskett, underlined the uniqueness and speciality of the judging process: "The judging process is very thorough, very ethical and based on meritocracy. The ability and skill of each competitor and how they have performed on the day matters. I cannot stress enough how ethical YCO judges are." The business end of the YCO began today (Feb 6) with the Dr. Suborno Bose Challenge competition. The Plate Finals will be held on Feb 7 and the Grand Finale and closing ceremony on Feb 8. But this week is and will be as much about the Young Chef Olympiads as about the students of IIHM, the judges, the organising team of the YCO and the parents and family of their students. Each one of them and everyone collectively have the brought the world together, and on the same plate. About IIHM The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) is a leading hospitality education institution in India, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in hospitality and hotel management. The institute has campuses in several cities in India and abroad, as well as partnerships with leading hospitality institutions worldwide. IIHM has a strong commitment to promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the hospitality industry and has been recognised as one of India's best hospitality education institutions. Contact Details: Mr. Abdullah AhmedChief Operating Office IIHM Hotel School Phone No: 011-43204700 Photo: View original content to download multimedia:
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
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England Wins IIHM's Young Chef Olympiad; India-UAE Lift Dr. Suborno Bose Challenge Trophy
World's largest collaborative competition for young chefs concludes with a grand closing ceremony in Kolkata KOLKATA, India, Feb. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kamran Taylor, a young chef from England, was crowned champion at the world's largest competition for young chefs, the IIHM International Young Chef Olympiad, which featured participants from 50 countries. In a glittering Grand Finale of the 11th edition of YCO, contested by the top ten teams after the first two rounds, Armenia's Arsen Armenakyan secured the Silver, while Yves Gabriel Cabrera Po from the Philippines won the Bronze Trophy. The 11th edition of the Young Chef Olympiad was organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC), London. The host country, India, made the nation proud as Chef Aliakbar Mustafa Rampurawala from IIHM Bangalore won the prestigious Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge Prize, along with UAE's Jasmin Ali Maher Lutfi Jarrar. This unique category featured 28 teams, which were not placed in either the Grand Finale or the Plate rounds. They were divided into 14 pairs, representing two countries each, in a spirit of culinary collaboration. The Plate Trophy, contested by teams ranked between 11 and 20 after the first round, was proudly lifted by South Korea's Shi-Hyun An. The YCO Champion, Plate Trophy winner, and Dr. Suborno Bose International Culinary Challenge recipients were chosen after two rounds of intense competition showcasing the best culinary talents from around the world. Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of the Young Chef Olympiad, said, "The world of culinary arts is united under the grand Kolkata sky. Culinary diplomacy means this. In a united world of young chefs, it's the best way to make the world happy and sustainable through food. Only in India can you achieve something like this. This year, YCO felt like a family, and we had a new venue for the opening ceremony in Goa, on the banks of the Arabian Sea." Prof David Foskett OBE, Chairman of the Jury for YCO said, "YCO is a grand celebration of friendship, Unity and Passion. It depicts the unifying power of food in a world of conflict. YCO can happen only in India, under the visionary leadership of Dr Bose, who does again and again and again. Padmashri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor remarked, "YCO is surely about compassion. But when you do it for 11 years, you multiply the compassion. YCO is also about competition with collaboration. Dr Bose is not only a lovable madman with a golden jacket, but he is a man of steel." Dr. Bose also highlighted IIHM's efforts in integrating AI into hospitality and hospitality education. He announced IIHM's Global Knowledge Sharing Declaration on AI in Hospitality with 50 countries, promoting inclusivity, human touch, and sustainability. On a magical night in Kolkata, everyone emerged as winners, as the united world of young chefs celebrated their roles as ambassadors of culinary diplomacy, dancing into the night amidst a swirl of colours and cultures. Contact Details: Mr. Abdullah AhmedChief Operating Office IIHM Hotel school Photo: View original content to download multimedia:
