The United World of Young Chefs, held at IIHM Global Campus in Kolkata, is the largest gathering of 50 chefs from 50 countries, promoting unity, solidarity, sustainability, and togetherness through culinary arts.
KOLKATA, India, Feb., 2025 The United World of Young Chefs (UWYC), a non-competitive event held at the IIHM Global Campus in Kolkata, is the largest gathering of young chefs in the world. It is the only time 50 chefs from 50 countries come together to literally cook up a culinary storm of unity, solidarity, sustainability, and togetherness. Nowhere else can one find Bhutan next to Ethiopia, or India next to South Korea, with their culinary flavors wafting around in a truly global environment, with countries like Australia and Botswana close by.
In spite of the fierce competition, UWYC is a celebration of friendship and teamwork that gives Young Chef Olympians an opportunity to feel united via the culinary arts.
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, 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 on February 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.
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