All About the Euro Asia S.Pellegrino Young Chef

UPDATE: Discover the Euro Asia Countries Region winners of the 4th edition of S.Pellegrino Young Chef.

With just a few months remaining for the Euro Asia Region Finals of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2019-2020, the jury members, finalists and each of their local mentors have been confirmed. The competition will take place in Russia, at the Bolschoi Theatre, Moscow, on October 9, 2019. 

This Region, one of 12 this year, will have ten young chefs that will take part in a cook off in front of a jury from the local countries. Each of the talents passed a careful selection process by the team at ALMA, in accordance with the Golden Rules of the competition. They will prepare and present their Signature Dish to the local jury who will select the winning Finalist to go forth to the Grand Finale in Milan, 2020. 

The Regional Finalists of the Euro Asia Region are accompanied by a local mentor of their choice who provide guidance and support throughout the competition. 

Here is the list of the 10 Regional finalists plus each of their chosen mentor chefs who will guide them throughout the Regional Finals. 

Andrey Kostin, Mentor: Marko Sõmer (Estonia)
Egor Makarov, Mentor: Anton Kovalkov (Russian Federation)
Vitalii Savelev, Mentor: Ivan & Sergey Berezuskiy (Russian Federation)
Jonita Sescilaite, Mentor: Justinas Kapkovicius (Lithuania)
Naira Sosedova, Mentor: Igor Grishechkin (Russian Federation)
Artem Petrin, Mentor: Artur Ovtsinnikov (Russian Federation)
Lari Helenius, Mentor: Pekka Terävä (Finland)
Ivan Kamenev, Mentor: Andrey Kolodyazhniy (Russian Federation)
Julia Karpova, Mentor: Mircko Zago (Russian Federation)

This year’s S.Pellegrino Young Chef initiative has been re-shaped to reflect the brand’s belief in the transformative power of gastronomy. That’s why from the this edition S.Pellegrino Young Chef will include three additional awards, both at the Regional Finals level and the Grand Finale, intended to give voice to different personal beliefs: Acqua Panna Award for Connection in Gastronomy, Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award, S.Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility.

The Local Jury Panel for the Euro Asia Region

The panel this year for Euro Asia hail from Russia, Estonia and Finland. Each of the jurors have been chosen due to their ability to support the S.Pellegrino Young Chef’s mission of nurturing the future of gastronomy through its support of the next generation of chefs. 

Nino Graziano (Russia)
Sicilian-born chef Nino Graziano left his two-star Il Mulinazzo restaurant in Sicily over 15 years ago to lead the team at Semifreddo, Moscow, then followed by La Bottega Siciliana and Bolognetta Osteria & Pizzeria, all in the Russian capital. 

Vladimir Mukhin (Russia)
Chef Vladimir Mukhin trained at La Barone in France, El Celler de Can Roca in Spain and Khajimi in Japan before opening his own restaurant, White Rabbit (No.13 of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, 2019) in 2012. He is known for his inventive cuisine using Russian ingredients and finely-designed combinations. 

Aram Mnastakanov (Russia)
Born in Baku, Aram Mnastakanov is a chef, TV star and restaurateur with several restaurants in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and more recently, Berlin. The highly influential chef maintains a strong focus on Italian cuisine while lately in 2018 has opened his first Georgian restaurant in St. Petersburg.  

Inga Paernum (Estonia)
After working at various restaurants in Estonia, chef Inga Paernum took on the role as Head Chef to the Estonian President in 2010, a role she continued on until 2016. She explores the different nuances of the Estonian cuisine through her cooking, focussing on quality local raw materials. 

Adrian Quetglas (Russia)
Argentinian-born, Spanish-raised chef Adrian Quetglas worked with Marc Fosh, the first English chef to receive a Michelin star in Spain, before returning to Moscow where he led a number of award-winning teams over a period of 10 years. In 2015 Quetglas opened his eponymous restaurant in Palma, where he explores an international cuisine which finds roots in his colourful upbringing and training. 

Angelica Udeküll (Estonia)
Angelica Udeküll is the Head Chef of Restaurant Wicca, Estonia, known for its use of local meats as well as locally produced and foraged fruits and vegetables. She won Cordon Bleu’s Chef of the Year 2018 award, acknowledging her passion and work in the discovery of new flavours, and rediscovery of ancient traditions.

Linnea Vihonen (Finland)
Linnea Vihonen was 25 year-old when she started her studies at Perho culinary institute and graduated in 2012. She worked as head-chef at vegan based restaurant Yes Yes Yes, and also appears in a Finnish tv show “Mitä tänään syötäisiin”. Vihonen is a strong advocate for young talent, working as one of the chefs at Hella Food, a training program based in Helsinki that helps develop crucial and practical skills for youths in the restaurant industry.

The Finalist chosen from this Regional Final and of the three awards will be announced on www.SanpellegrinoYoungChefacademy.com as and when they take place. 

Find out more about S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2019-2020 and via our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram and by following #Sanpellegrino and #SPYoungChef.