David Wälti has been crowned winner in the Switzerland local final

David Wälti, sous chef at the Eisblume restaurant in Worb has won the Swiss finals of the prestigious S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition fending off nine other young talents in his country.

The announcement came following a day of outstanding performances from ten young chef semi-finalists from across the Switzerland on September 4th at the Belvoirpark Hotel School in Zurich.

Wälti managed to seduce the five members of the prestigious jury with his signature dish of salmon trout with herbal tea and marinated raw vegetables, convincing them that he is the best young chef in the region.

David Wälti will compete against 20 other candidates from around the globe as part of S.Pellegrino Young Chef's Grand Finale in Milan in 2018. During this event a jury of renowned chefs will nominate the best young chef in the world who will be crowned S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018.

Grand Chef André Jaeger will serve as a mentor the Swiss finalist helping him to develop his "signature dish” and optimise his performance ahead of the big day in Milan.