S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy has announced the initial line-up of young candidates selected for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25, the global initiative to discover and mentor the most talented young chefs under 30 years of age worldwide.

Thousands of chefs from all over the world applied for the competition, inspired by the opportunity to connect and learn directly from the most influential members ofthe gastronomic world and to demonstrate their unique creativity and vision. Among them, 165 passed the first selection and are now ready to show their talent and passion during the Regional Finals.

Luis Estrella

Each young chef’s application and their signature dish was evaluated by culinary experts at the World’s Leading International Educational and Training Centre for Italian Cuisine, ALMA. ALMA’s selection process hinged on three key criteria: technical skills, creativity and a personal belief in the transformative power of gastronomy to make a positive change in society through food.

Finalists for South Europe and Mediterranean Region are now revealed

“S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition surprises us with every edition and it is not a given since we have been collaborating with them since the first edition. Candidates outdo themselves from year to year, guided by passion andcommitment,” said Matteo Berti, Head of Education of ALMA. “The selection process was not easy, but now it's up to the shortlisted candidates to show their talents throughout the course of the competition. The best of luck to all of them!”

Andrea Amore

This group of talented young chefs will compete across 15 different regional finalsaround the world from September 2024 to January 2025. The South Europe & Mediterranean Region Final will happen on November 25 and 26, 2024 in Malta.

Duck, from Old to New World by Luis Estrella

Regional Finals are already a huge opportunity for exposure as the chefs willpresent their signature dishes to a jury of renowned chefs, namely - Thanos Feskosfrom Greece, Iwona Niemczewska from Poland, Alexandru Iacob from Romania, Igor Jagodic from Slovenia and Victor Borg, from the host country Malta - in charge of selecting the regional winners of four awards:

• S.Pellegrino Young Chef Award – the Local Jury of each regional competition will evaluate the presented dishes based on the three Golden Rules, selecting one young chef at each Regional Final who displays the strongest technical skills, genuine creativity and an exceptional personal belief about gastronomy;
• S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award – voted for by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, which runs Food Made Good, the largest food service sustainability programme and global community for driving sustainability in hospitality, the winning dish will represent the principle that food is at its best when it's the result of socially responsible practices, encompassing sourcing, social and environmental requirements.
• Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award – the winner of this award will produce a dish that represents the culinary heritage of the chef's native region. The dish should highlight traditional culinary practices and personal modern vision, providing a connection between the past and the future.
• Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award – voted for by Fine Dining Lovers readers, this award will be for the young chef who best represents their personal beliefs with a signature dish.

The regional winners of each of these awards will compete for the global title for each of the categories at the Grand Finale in 2025.

The line-up of Regional Finalists for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition in The South Europe & Mediterranean Region are the following (in host country and country alphabetical order):

Andrea Amore and Luis Estrella representing Malta, Alexandros Diamantis representing Greece, Fanni Varga representing Hungary, Yuval Romano and Rotem Dolev representing Israel, Maciej Osinski, Cezary Boraczynksi and Dawid Cieslinski representing Poland,Bogdan Panaite and Vadean Alin representing Romania, Nikola Sorak representing Serbia, Matija Cotic, Bostjan Volk and Pablo Falcon representing Slovenia.

To discover the full list of candidates and know more about the initiative please visit https://www.sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com/.