Hyderabad January 31, 2024: The ten young chefs from 10 different countries of the world participated in Round 1 of the 10th IIHM International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) in the Hyderabad campus of the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) at Gachibowli in Hyderabad on Wednesday. It is the 10th Edition of the World’s biggest culinary Olympiad, held simultaneously on the same day in four other cities ---Pune, Delhi, Goa, Bangalore besides Hyderabad. The lone participant from India, Lenin Bopanna from Bangalore is competing in this competition at Pune. 

The ten participants of round-1 were Banureka Ravi from Malaysia, Nibal Haidar Said Jaber from Jordan, Amirhossein Shahbazi from Iran, Nicolas Baudouin Etienne Rodolphe Lecomte from Luxembourg, PM Helani Amanda Pathiraja from Sri Lanka, Oluwapelumi Deborah Sobayo from Nigeria, Mohamed Faahim from Maldives, Liana Melkonyan from Armenia, Alanna Sarah Moffitt from Ireland and Feven Enkosa Hambisa from Ethiopia.

The culinary battle which began in the morning saw these young chefs showcasing their culinary skills in a 3.5 hours skills test and preparation of a vegetarian dish and dessert.

The contestants were evaluated by an esteemed panel of international judges, including Chef Neil Rippington, Chef Henry Brosi, Chef Shaun Kenworthy, Chef Mahesh Padala, and Chef Dharmender Lamba

The Honorary Consular General of Korea, France, Iran, and Turkey, IPS Officer Mrs. Abhilasha Bisth, General Managers of all most star hotels in the city, 11 Principles of various Hotel Management Schools in the city, ten executive chefs of Marriott, Taj, Radisson and many other hotels and 250 schools’ students also witnessed the competition.

60 countries are participating in the Olympiad this year.  It is the biggest ever participation in the past ten years. It was held under the auspices of the International Hospitality Council, UK and IIHM. IIHM, the International Institute of Hotel Management is the largest chain of premier Hospitality and Hotel Management schools across India.

“The competition was aimed to test the participants' culinary skills, creativity, and knowledge of different cuisines, as well as their ability to work under pressure. The judges were impressed with the level of skill and creativity displayed by the young chefs, making it a tough competition to judge. This was the second time the Hyderabad campus hosted the YCO Competition said Earnest Immanuel, Director, IIHM Hyderabad

Dr Suborno Bose, Chairman, IIHM, who conceptualised this event in 2015, said, “The 10th International Young Chef Olympiad is the biggest Culinary Olympiad anywhere in the world. The theme of this year's contest is the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The leading 10 competitors from Round 1 from five cities, including Hyderabad will compete in the Grand Final to be held in Kolkata on February 4, 2024.  The next 10 competitors filling the 11th to 20th positions will compete for the Plate Trophy and the remaining competitors will take part in the YCO Dr Suborno Bose Challenge.

The Grand Final’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medallists; the Plate Trophy Winner; the YCO Dr Suborno Bose Challenge Winner and all other Award Winners will be announced at the Closing Awards Ceremony on the evening of 4th February 2024. The gold winner will be awarded a US$ 5,000 prize, the silver winner will bag US$3,000, and the bronze winner $2,000.