International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) 2018 kickstarts

The 4th International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) 2018, supported by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, organised by International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), kick starts on Sunday at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium in Delhi. The season 4 of the world’s biggest culinary Olympiad will be concluded on February 2 with different rounds being held at Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and the grand finale will be held in Kolkata. YCO 2018 assures to be a much greater event in scale and grandeur. With over 50 countries participating at the culinary extravaganza, YCO 2018 will definitely attract eyeballs.

Kenyan student Vivian Asiyo Aketch and her Lecturer Chef David Kariuki at the 4th Young Chef Olympiad

All the participating countries have been divided into five groups, namely, Group A to Group E. This division was done through a Lucky Draw that was held in London some months back. The contestants, or ‘Cheftestants’ as they are referred to in YCO, will be accompanied by a mentor at the competition. They will go through three rounds of competition before reaching the grand finale to be held at Kolkata.

The opening ceremony at International Young Chef Olympiad

The Olympiad will be judged by a panel of distinguished international celebrity judges, all of whom are well known in the culinary world. Some of the celebrity judges who are be on the panel are Chef Chris Galvin, Chef John Wood, Chef Karl Guggenmos and others. The panel of judges will be chaired by Prof. David Foskett, former Dean and Head of the London School of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of West London. Iconic chef, Padma Shri Sanjeev Kapoor is the Principal Judge and Mentor of YCO 18.

With a dream to take YCO to greater heights, Dr Suborno Bose, the Chairman of YCO 2018 Committee said, “I am happy at how the Olympiad has progressed over the years and I expect YCO 2018 to be an even greater event considering the number of countries participating this time with many of them coming for the first time.”

The highlight of YCO 18 will be United World of Young Chefs, a unique event scheduled for January 31. “This will be an absolutely awesome event where all the participants from 50 nations will prepare their national dishes under one roof,” said Dr Bose. Another special event is the International Culinary Forum that will be held on January 31 for the mentors. This seminar will be an enriching session of exchange of cultures and culinary experience between the experts from the industry from across the world. Besides the Olympiad, such events will take forward the spirit of friendship, bonding and camaraderie embodied by YCO.

List of participating countries in YCO 2018 are Armenia, France, Mauritius, Philippines, Sweden, Australia, Hong Kong, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, Bahrain, Iceland, Myanmar, Scotland, Turkey, Bangladesh, India, Namibia, Seychelles, UAE, Belgium, Ireland, Nepal, Singapore, USA, Bhutan, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Cambodia, Kenya, Northern Ireland, South Korea, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Malaysia, Oman, Spain, England, Malta, Palestine and Sri Lanka.

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