Young Chef Olympiad

Young Chef Olympiad
StatusActive
GenreCulinary competition
FrequencyAnnual
LocationIndia
CountryIndia
Inaugurated2015
FounderSuborno Bose
Organised byInternational Institute of Hotel Management
Websiteycolympiad.com

The Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) is an annual international culinary competition for student chefs, organised by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM). Founded by Suborno Bose, it was first held in 2015. The competition has been held in several Indian cities, with final rounds normally held in Kolkata.

Format

The Olympiad is contested by students representing participating countries and culinary institutions. Its format has varied by edition, generally comprising preliminary rounds in multiple Indian cities followed by a final in Kolkata. The 2021 and 2022 editions were conducted virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Editions

Young Chef Olympiad editions
Edition Dates Format and locations Reported participation Gold Silver Bronze
1st 2015 Kolkata 15 countries Ashwin
Malaysia		 Marcin
Spain		 Tajinder
United Kingdom
2nd 27 January–2 February 2016 Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata Over 50 countries Daniella Garmond
Canada		 Gabriela Aleksandrova Hristova
United Arab Emirates		 Johan Kurkela (Finland) and Fernando Andres Guajardo Moguel (Mexico), joint
3rd 28 January–2 February 2017 Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata Over 45 countries Tham Jiajun Mathew
Singapore		 Andrew Ou Kai Peng
Malaysia		 Selah Schmoll
Canada
4th 28 January–2 February 2018 Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata Over 50 countries Lai Jia Yi
Malaysia		 Surya Sekhar Roy Choudhury
India		 —
5th 28 January–2 February 2019 Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata 50 countries Cyrène Randrianasolo
France		 Bogdan-Petru-Alin Vandici
Romania		 Luke Hayward
England
6th 28 January–2 February 2020 Delhi, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata 55 countries Chen Khai Loong
Malaysia		 Austin Cale Labago
Philippines		 Bethany Collins
England
7th 31 January–6 February 2021 Virtual 50 countries Lee Maan Ki
Hong Kong		 Srijaenthi Natraj
United Arab Emirates		 Jessica Louise Hoskins
New Zealand
8th 2022 Virtual 46 countries Matteo Cignetti
Italy		 Chong Jia De
Singapore		 Halldor Haflidason
Iceland
9th 29 January–4 February 2023 Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, Bengaluru, Pune and Kolkata More than 50 countries Emil Zeynalzade
Azerbaijan		 Patiphon Lertsuakitti
Thailand		 Naureen Shaikh
India
10th 29 January–4 February 2024 Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa and Kolkata 60 countries Leyla Valiyeva
Azerbaijan		 Clifford Jeff Cadunggo Unabia (Philippines) and Kamal Thapa (Nepal), joint Francesco Orsi
Italy
11th 2–8 February 2025 Goa, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata 50 countries Kamran Taylor
England		 Arsen Armenakyan
Armenia		 Yves Gabriel Cabrera Po
Philippines
12th 1–6 February 2026 Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Goa and Kolkata 40 countries Enri Cuedari
Albania		 Dominic Thomas Grundy
England		 Vidanagamage Rumira Reshan Piyasiri
Sri Lanka

History

The first Young Chef Olympiad was held in Kolkata in 2015, with participants from 15 countries. The following editions expanded the competition to preliminary rounds in several Indian cities before a final round in Kolkata.

The 2018 edition took place in Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The 2019 edition was held in Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata from 28 January to 2 February, with participants from 50 countries.

The 2020 event used venues in Delhi, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata and involved participants from 55 countries. The 2021 and 2022 editions were conducted virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The competition returned to an in-person format in 2023. That edition was held in Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, Bengaluru, Pune and Kolkata. The 2024 edition included 60 participants from different countries.

Results

The early-edition results were reported in contemporary coverage. Cyrène Randrianasolo won the 2019 competition and Chen Khai Loong won in 2020.

Matteo Cignetti won the 2022 edition, while Emil Zeynalzade won in 2023 and Leyla Valiyeva won in 2024.

Kamran Taylor won the 2025 edition. Enri Cuedari won the 2026 edition; its final was held in Kolkata.

References

  1. ↑ "IIHM to host first International 'Young Chef Olympiad' in Kolkata". Financial Express. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  2. ↑ "Luke flies flag for England at Young Chef Olympiad in India". University College Birmingham. January 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  3. ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad 2025 kicks off in Goa with artificial intelligence in focus". The Telegraph. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  4. ↑ "WelTec ākonga placed third in the world's largest digital culinary competition" (PDF). Whitireia and WelTec. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad 2022 called it a wrap with a grand closing ceremony". The Telegraph. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  6. ↑ "IIHM to host first International 'Young Chef Olympiad' in Kolkata". Financial Express. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad: Chefs from world over to compete for the top spot in India". Hindustan Times. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "International Young Chef Olympiad 2018 kickstarts". Businessworld. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "India to host 5th Young Chef Olympiad in Jan". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "The sixth edition of IIHM Young Chef Olympiad is here, knocking at the door!". The Telegraph. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "WelTec ākonga placed third in the world's largest digital culinary competition" (PDF). Whitireia and WelTec. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Young Chef Olympiad 2022 called it a wrap with a grand closing ceremony". The Telegraph. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "9th International Young Chef Olympiad kicks off Jan 29, 2023". Gomantak Times. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "Young champ of 10th International IIHM Young Chef Olympiad hopes to inspire girls to become chefs". The Telegraph. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Singapore wins 3rd edition of Young Chef Olympiad, 2017". Travel Daily News Asia. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "Malaysian chef wins International Young Chef Olympiad 2018". The Asian Age. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Cyrène Randrianasolo remporte la médaille d'Or du concours YCO 2019". Lycée Albert de Mun (in French). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Benildean Austin Labago bags silver in Young Chef Olympiad 2020". The Benildean. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "Italy bags top title at Young Chef Olympiad 2022". The Telegraph. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Whitireia and WelTec student finishes fifth out of 50 in global Young Chef competition". Whitireia and WelTec. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "Nepali youth bags first runner-up title in Young Chef Olympiad". The Kathmandu Post. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "England wins IIHM's Young Chef Olympiad; India-UAE lift Dr. Suborno Bose Challenge Trophy". PR Newswire. International Institute of Hotel Management. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  23. ↑ "Kitchen CUT sponsor the Young Chef Olympiad 2026 with special award". Kitchen CUT. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.