S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2022-23 collateral award winners

Ian Goh from Singapore, has been announced as the global winner of the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award.

The young chef from Singapore won with his signature dish ‘Heritage lamb’, a creation, he said, that “blends my love of lamb with my hope to highlight my Hainanese heritage” and that helped him to beat the entries of 14 other talented regional finalists from around the world.

The award is voted for by Fine Dining Lovers readers in an online ballot and is given to the chef who best represents their personal beliefs through a signature dish. It is the only collateral award voted for by the public and is the first to be announced for this edition of the Competition.

The dish was conceived with the help of his Regional Final mentor Louis Han – Sous Chef from one-Michelin-star Nae:um in Singapore,

“I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor, considering that he himself competed in 2016,” said Goh. “We spent long hours together not only for the training itself, but he also helped me to boost my confidence and mental steadfastness.”

Goh said being part of the Competition had been a “great experience”. “I think it gives a platform for young chefs to shine,'' he added. He will now travel to the Grand Finale in October to collect his prize where he will also be competing for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award as the winner of the Asia Regional Final.

He-Sen Liu of the Ling Long restaurants in Beijing and Shangai is the winner of the Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award 2022-23.

The chef, representing China Mainland Competition Zone, won with his signature dish ‘Homemade oyster sauce with Shandong wagyu’ which was conceived with the help of his mentor, Wu Rong.

The award, voted for by the Competition mentors, is given to the chef who best reflects the balance between the past and the future in their signature dish whilst expressing the traditional gastronomic heritage of their home country.

“It’s the first time a young chef from China has received this significant award. It means a lot to me,” said Liu. “All my efforts over the past years, combined with my painstaking work at my restaurant LINGLONG are inspired by the rich geography, abundant ingredients and traditional cooking techniques of Chinese cuisine. I aim to trace its historical diversity while exploring worldwide fusion with integration and innovation. I firmly believe in the power of food and remain committed to honouring my culture while evolving my cooking style with an open mind and a heart that cherishes tradition.”

Liu will now travel to the Grand Finale to collect his prize.

Chef Artur Gomes is the recipient of the global S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award for 2022-23.

The prize is given to the chef whose signature dish best interprets the principle that food is better when it is the result of socially responsible practices and is voted for by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

Gomes won with his signature dish, ‘”Vale das Lobas” celeriac’, which the SRA describes as a dish that “not only champions hyper-local ingredients, but also showcases regenerative agricultural processes that are being introduced with soil health and climate in mind.”

“I am honoured to have received this recognition that is so important to me,” says Gomes. “Social responsibility should be a collective commitment that goes beyond our restaurant. With my dish I wanted to show how sustainability should start from our communities, our artisans and the region. My hope is that through sustainable constructions, regenerative farming and resource management we aren’t only regenerating this land but also this community.”