The most exciting talent search for chefs in the world came to an exhilarating close on the evening of Sunday 13th May after three rounds of competitive cooking throughout the weekend with Yasuhiro Fujio announced as the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018. Yasuhiro Fujio’s impressive Signature Dish, ‘Across the Sea’ accompanied by his mentor, Luca Fantin wowed the esteemed Grand Jury.
Africa-Middle East regional winner, Vusumuzi Ndlovu – head chef at the pop up Marabi Club in Johannesburg, was placed in the Top Seven worldwide of The S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018, no small achievement for this young chef who had previously entered the 2016 edition and placed third in the regional.
Chosen by the Grand Jury made up of giants of global gastronomy, Virgilio Martínez, Margarita Forés, Brett Graham, Annie Féolde, Dominique Crenn, Ana Roš and Paul Pairet, S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 Yasuhiro Fujio captivated the panel who were also enthralled with the overall standard of competition. All ‘Seven Sages’ within the Grand Jury agreed it was a tough decision since the standard of this year’s competition was so high, yet all appreciated Yasuhiro Fujio was able to tell his own story in an original way through his Signature Dish, ‘Across the Sea’.
“At S.Pellegrino we are driven by a strong passion for Gastronomy. That’s why some years ago we started thinking about how we could contribute to it. But we wanted something that could really make the difference” Says Federico Sarzi Braga – President and CEO of Sanpellegrino Group. “And now that we have closed our third edition of S.Pellegrino Young Chef, we can say that it is really pursuing its purpose: supporting and developing young talent. As the best we can do for Gastronomy is contribute to nurture talent and passion.”
