The world’s biggest Olympiad for culinary students – the International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) – is back to celebrate the multicultural diversity of food from across the borders. The sixth edition of the event will be held across five cities of India – Delhi, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata – from 28th January 2020 to 2nd February 2020. YCO 2020 will witness participation of student chefs from 60 countries, including Scotland, England, Singapore, USA, Spain, Portugal, Kenya, Iran, Cambodia and Germany, among others. Adopting the theme of ‘Sustainability’, this year the competition will be uniting the young talent of the culinary world to champion the sustainability revolution through positive action.
During a 5-day long intense competition, which is being organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council London, the contestants will undertake 3 rounds of culinary challenges in their quest to win the coveted YCO 2020 Champion Trophy, a cash prize of USD 10,000 and a validation of their skills by globally renowned experts from the food and hospitality industry.
Talking about YCO 2020, Dr Suborno Bose, the CEO of International Hospitality Council (IHC) and Founder YCO, said, “With 60 countries coming together under one roof to celebrate the diversity of food from across the borders, YCO 2020 is not just the biggest culinary competition in the world but also a global platform fostering the spirit of youth, friendship, inclusiveness and camaraderie. Moreover, by making sustainability as the theme for this year, we are championing the cause with the involvement of young people who will help determine and shape the future through a global impact.”
YCO 2020 will be inaugurated on 28th January with a grand opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The competition rounds will start from 29th January and the first two rounds will be held in Delhi, Pune, Goa and Bengaluru. The top 10 contestants as per the scores of the two rounds will compete in the Grand Finale of YCO 2020 in Kolkata on 2nd February. The Plate Trophy, which was introduced last year, will be held on 2nd February wherein the contestants holding positions 11 to 20 in the first two rounds will compete. The Olympiad will conclude on 2nd February with a closing ceremony, where the YCO 2020 Champion, runners-up and other awardees will be announced. This year the participants will be competing for a total of 25 competitor awards, including ‘Rising Star’, ‘Best Vegetarian Dish’, ‘Best Dessert’, ‘Best Hygienic Practice’, ‘Best Ambassador’, ‘Sustainability Award’, ‘Mentor’s Nominee’, ‘Kitchen Cut Award’ and ‘IHC Foundation Hospitality PR Champion’.
In the competition’s first round, the contestants will be required to prepare 4 portions of a boned chicken dish with accompanying garnish in one and half hours. The contestants will be judged on their basic skills, innovation and creativity in this round. In round 2, the contestants will be required to prepare a vegetarian dish suitable for a lunch menu in a Bistro or Brasserie and Pear Flan Bourdaloue (Almond and Pear Flan) served with a basic custard saucefrom a basket of ingredients and based on their own recipes. The primary judging criteria for this round will be the cooking technique, along with portioning, presentation, colour and finish of the dishes.
