Team Café cafe@herald-goa.com
The 11th edition of the Young Chefs Olympiad, will be held under the aegis of the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC) London. The Young Chef Olympians- student chefs from 50 nations will undertake two rounds of culinary challenges to attempt to win the coveted YCO 2025 Golden Toque. The competition rounds will begin at the IIHM campus kitchens, from February 3, in Goa, and from February 4 in Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The top 10 Young Chef Olympians’ as per scores ion two rounds, will compete in the finale of YCO 2025 in Kolkata on February 8.
Dr Suborno Bose, Chairman of International Hospitality Council (IHC) and Founder YCO, and Chairman IIHM said, “It's possibly the best we have seen, referring to the YCO. The world has been challenged, but this has not stopped countries from travelling. This year, we also had the Young Chef India competition, where chefs from all the management schools across the country participated. The participating chef, the winner of the Indian round, was selected from among 140 finalists across 10 cities. We call our contestants Young Chef Olympians. One important aspect of YCO this time is the theme of AI with a human touch. It is all about humanity and how it is bolstered by AI.”
There is also the plate trophy and the Dr Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge prize up for grabs. Each trophy, in this global platform, is bound to embellish the careers of young chefs and validate their skills. There will be another winner in this year’s YCO. This winner will not compete but be the catalyst for phenomenal change in global hospitality education - AI.
IIHM has adopted a comprehensive framework to integrate AI into global hospitality education. This initiative prioritises inclusivity, human-centric values, and sustainability, reflecting the industry’s evolving needs while preserving its essence.
“With YCO and AI Suborno Bose has changed the realm of hospitality education”, said Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, principal judge and mentor for YCO 2025. He added, “There is excitement in the air and every country is looking forward to winning. We will witness history being made. It's that time of the year when the culinary world looks forward to what YCO has to offer. May this be the biggest event in the culinary world.”
YCO 2025 will also bring together the student chefs and chef mentors for the ‘United World of Young Chefs’. There will be World Cuisine display by the 10 participating countries at Bangalore at the Karnataka Food festival organized by IIHM Bangalore in partnership with Brigade Hospitality on February 3, while Hyderabad, Goa, Delhi and Pune will host a mini-UWYC, which will present the national dishes of participating countries in respective host cities to create awareness and break cultural barriers through the universal language of food.
Members of the public will also get an opportunity to participate. There will be an online voting opened to vote for the best dessert in round 1 of the main competition, and for the most popular national dish in the United World of Young Chefs competition.
A book, ‘Harmonizing Human Touch and AI in Tourism and Hospitality’ by Dr Suborno Bose on the A to Z of AI in tourism and hospitality will be launched during the opening of the YCO in Goa.