Regional Finalists 2022-23

Through this dish, I express Japan’s Satoyama culture, a way of life rooted in the coexistence of people and nature. Festivals, prayers for abundant harvests, care for the environments that provide food, and cooperation within rural communities are values deeply embedded in Japanese society. As a chef, I believe cuisine must begin with an awareness of the ecosystems that sustain our ingredients. Satoyama is a philosophy I wish to share with the world and a model for the future of cooking.

This dish began with my love of lamb, and the hope to highlight my Hainanese heritage. Lamb has been a staple of the Hainanese diet (i.e. Dong Shan Lamb) and through this menu, it would be featured alongside ingredients and techniques that link the East with the West.
Taking inspiration from the Spice Route, also known as the Maritime Silk Roads, I have utilised spices such as cumin, fennel, Sze Chuan peppercorns and ginger, all of which were known and used in antiquity and traded in Asia.

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, my food education began with family trips to the nearby Da Pai Dang @Taman Midah where we bonded over many traditional dishes from various hawkers. My dish aims to sensibly capture the authentic flavours of my favorite street food and bring harmony to them on a plate through my own reinterpretation using my favourite ingredient that I like to cook with, Pigeon, as the star alongside local ingredients whilst practising sustainable zero waste cooking

The Shepherd offers his healthiest lambs, either for feasts or as a sacrificial meal every year by monotheists alike, in suit of Abraham's sacrifice to god. It is tradition to use a healthy lamb that is at least a year old. I wanted to honour this abiding tradition by encompassing the subtle yet rich flavours of the animal, complimented with locally foraged seasonal vegetables. This is an exploration of a harmonious dance of textures, temperatures, and flavours.

As Mongolian chef working in fine dining in Canada, carrying the values of my nomadic heritage into every kitchen I enter. Like a modern nomad, I adapt to new environments, learn from different cultures, and grow through each experience while remaining connected to my roots. Inspired by the hospitality of the Mongolian Ger, this dish reflects my journey and my ambition to help shape the future of Mongolian cuisine on the world stage.

This is the purest form of expression of my journey. This dish will take you through the beginning of my career all the way to the present. It takes inspiration from my grandmother’s impactful love for cooking transmitted to me as a young girl, to the reflection of my culinary career. My development as a chef and the learning of cultures, were turning points of finding my own identity and what has devoted me to this chapter.

This Dish is my Handwriting, it is all the experiences I collected over the years in every kitchen I worked, starting from what my mother cooked for me when I was a child. My Grandma created many dishes with offals, and that was the inspiration for my ragout. I Love to make some old traditional dishes in a new modern way with a touch of Asian style.

This dish represents me: german born i lived in Irleand for 10 years. North Sea Cod: Pan-seared to perfection, symbolizing my childhood fishing expeditions in northern Germany. Oyster: Representing Ireland, adorned with colors inspired by the Irish flag (green, white, and orange). Potato Salad with Beurre Blanc: Reflects my time in Hamburg and the elegance of Carls Restaurant. Mashed Peas: A nod to my Irish experience, complementing the traditional fish and chips.

I want to combine my styrian heritage, austrian seasonal products, french cuisine and an asian touch.

Venison, in my opinion, is the most sustainable, eco-friendly, healthy and regional meat that exists. It grows and lives sustainably in the wild, foraging naturally in the austrian forest and it´s entirely free from medication and antibiotics.

I’d like through this creation to express the ambivalence which exists in our «industry». Chef, sommelier,etc, all those occupations can give the image of a certain negativity : physically rude, mentally charged, long hours, fatigue, everyday issues… But once you go over those darks elements, then you discover a world full of color and freshness, sensitivity, solidarity, passion, creativity. With one very important commun duty : bringing happiness to people.
 

A plate full of memories of my trip to Bretagne in the summer. I found a wild fennel herb in the nature of Bretagne, I bought organic vegetables and herbs from local producers. I fished in the sea of Bretagne, (natural fish and natural common cockle and seaweeds that actually experienced fishing)
The main ingredient,Turbot, is baked, The Flounder Fin, bone-based sauce, and Turbot skin chips, all of which can be cooked and enjoyed with different sauces and garnishes.

This dish gives nobility to the sturgeon by placing it at the centre of the plate, with the caviar playing a secondary role as an accompaniment. I love the idea of pairing the fish with the highly prized egg it produces. Born to two young parents, I grew up between Sologne and Provence; by combining the flavours of Douglass, pine kernels and artichokes, as well as remembering the tian my grandmother used to prepare for me and my love of freshwater fish, I'm showing my origins.

The origin of the techniques and flavours of this dish come from the city where my surname comes from, from an emblematic family who to this day represent historical flavours and maintain their roots, and above all from the great use that this region has made for centuries of the natural resources of its geography, such as rivers and countryside, where they ate from their own vegetable garden. This is a tribute to them.

My dream as a chef is nothing more than to be able to take my island to the highest level of gastronomy, being happy along the way. I have expressed it in this dish, using figs, lactose and corn, which is what the pigeon feeds on during its life, making 100% use of it and accompanying it with the three most typical plants of the island, which are fennel, rosemary and salicornia. With this dish I want to show that with a few simple ingredients and your own roots you can achieve a dish of great quality.

This dish is inspired by the Sierra Norte of Madrid, a rugged mountain region shaped by sheep farming, cereals and pine forests. Using young lamb and seasonal ingredients, it expresses landscape, memory and a sense of place through a contemporary approach. Each element reflects a different aspect of the region: smoke, fresh herbs, the mountains and the respectful use of every part of the animal.

I chose baby goat, because in addition to liking it a lot, it was the first animal I cooked in my first work experience, we used to stew it with potatoes without any knowledge of the various cuts of meat, it was cut into pieces and cooked in a pot. With this dish I would like to encourage many young people like me who come from experiences like mine, that with study and perseverance you discover other ways of presenting a cut or an animal in general.

I began cooking out of necessity, having grown up without a safety net. Then it became a language. Caruggio tells the story of a walk through Sanremo, from the sea to the mountains, along narrow alleyways that bring contrasts together. It uses only ingredients found along this route, chosen for what they are. To me, respecting an ingredient means applying the right heat at the right moment. I want to create a cuisine that is clean, plant-forward and visionary. Not as a trend. As a responsibility.

The First Step tells the story of a personal return. After years spent moving between kitchens, countries and experiences, I realized that growth does not always come from going further, but sometimes from stopping and rebuilding. Through the five fundamental tastes, this dish expresses comfort, tension, transformation, maturity and balance. It is a tribute to my territory, my identity and the foundations of the chef I want to become.

It’s a celebration of the plantain plant itself, all of it.
Plantain has always been the base of our nutrition. The most productive plant of the country and it’s never been seen as such.
After every ton of plantain consumed, 2 tons of waste are left, because of how little use its other parts. Due to the Chinese and afrocaribbean influence in our gastronomy (and in my heritage), plantain takes 3 forms in my dish: a bread (for the plantain was called bread for the poor) a a siumae, and a tamal.

Chiriqui's recognized for being the produce pantry of Panama, that’s why my dish's focused on the earth’s bounty with key ingredients of the region. Seren, is a corn soup endemic to the region, with sweet and delicate flavors. My grandmother use the whole corn, from the husk to the cob, because she always says that what the land produces must be used in its entirety. Ubaldina is a homage to her, her heritage, and a journey through my childhood.

All the ingridients in my dish come from the farm I grew up, I sowed them myself, and I prepared them using traditional and contemporary techniques. The aim is for the judges to eat a humble part of Colombia at its best. I want this dish to be a way to give a voice to the farmers who had to leave their land and to create reflections about the crops and dishes that call themselves sustainable but often cause damage to the countryside and the traditional knowledge of peasant families.

For me, the meat of the turbot fish is tender and not fishy, and it often appears on every household's dining table. The common cooking methods include steaming, braising, pan-frying, and more. Although it is a very common fish, I want to try to create a unique experience based on my own understanding. Furthermore, it seems that the concept of "numbing and spicy" is not widely known internationally. I hope to introduce the concept and let more people understand the charm of Chinese cuisine and the unique flavors it offers

The idea of the dish is from my hometown, Xinjiang, which is famous for its tasty lamb. The sheep live in the mountains where the sea-buckthorn and pleurotus grow. To bring the scenery of my hometown, I put them together in the plate. Besides, I also want to introduce the diet and cooking culture to more people in the world. We hardly waste any part of an animal as a respect of the nature, and cook each part separately to make the best use of it. Thrift and sustainability are notably important in this age, I wish I could arouse more attention on them.

This dish is inspired by my journey across China, from Kashgar to Hami in Xinjiang China, where I gathered inspiration from what I saw, heard, and experienced. It incorporates a variety of Xinjiang ingredients and cooking techniques, expressing my love for the region. I used the spice rub from Xinjiang's traditional whole roasted lamb to slow-cook the Xinjiang Altay lamb eye meat over charcoal, resulting in a flavorful dish.

Chicken and buckwheat is one of the cheapest healthy meal options that is very common to cook among people in Estonia. However, the way it is cooked is usually very boring and not very pleasant to eat. With this dish, I tried to take these simple ingredients and create something new. I want to showcase that despite the importance of high quality ingredients, chefs are the ones who actually make the difference and create new dishes.

The Silent Flock – A Life Through Lamb explores the life cycle of a sheep as a reflection of Ireland’s journey across generations. Lamb, hogget and mutton represent youth, growth and maturity, mirroring my grandfather’s generation of necessity, my father’s generation of change, and my own generation of opportunity. Rooted in whole-animal cookery and the Irish landscape, it honors the past while looking confidently toward the future of Irish cuisine.

This dish is inspired by our workplaces garden. Our own grown vegetables and salads combined with chefs knowledge creates Synergy. I would like to use this to entice you choose vegetarian options more often, I believe it’s beneficial for our health and also our environment.I I believe if we consume less meat it would be meaningful change for environment. Chosing locally produced food we decrease transport waist and reduce carbon footprint. Use local produce were possible. Less is more.

Through this dish, I wanted to link my 2 countries of affection which are France, my country of origin, and Australia, the country that welcomes me.
For this, there was no question of importing products from Europe, nowadays I believe that it is up to our generation to limit the environmental impact through our cuisine.
So I looked for products grown and appreciated in each of the two countries, I then selected them individually from local producers, every single product comes from Queensland.

In New Zealand we have a large number of introduced pests like wild deer that damage our native flora and fauna. By using wild venison we can create an economy for conservation by giving a financial incentive for the pest control. Hunters can sell the meat and chefs can utilise a delicious clean natural protein in the kitchen. I want to show a way to use the whole animal by ulatising the offal & bones in an approachable way for customers. The more we sell creates more money for conservation.

Australia gifted me its world-class Angus beef, ocean-fresh squid, and sun-ripened produce. In return, I bring my Thai heritage, bold Larb, aromatic sauces, and place them alongside Chinese taro stuffing, Vietnamese rice rolls, and Mediterranean grape bites filled with date and goat cheese. This plate is what Australia tastes like: a country of extraordinary abundance, many cultures woven into one, and uniquely, beautifully itself.

My dish is my interpretation to the classic Borscht. I took my mother’s recipe and disassembled it and combined it with the local ingredients and flavor’s. The dish itself served on plates that passed in my family in inheritance.
My goal was to make a dish that combines two cultures, memories from my childhood and also has minimum waste. I tried to use all the parts of all the ingredients.

Through “The story of Cod” I wanted to give a modern twist to a traditional Greek recipe and products that are a part of every table in Greece. The goal was to showcase Greek gastronomic culture through a combination of tradition and modernity. Wanting to highlight the quality of Greek products, I chose to include ingredients found all over Greece. The message I wanted to convey was that complexity can occur through simple things and that we should get inspired by our roots and history.

Serbia is land of contrasts. Its people know hardship, difficult soil, and scarity - but they also know pride. From struggle comes something almost irrational: Uncoditional Hospitality. When guests arrive, poverty disappears. Everything is placed on the table, and family gathers around it. And there is always Šopska salad. This dish has long surpassed the form of salad. It is prose about people, hardship, and defiance. The salad is no longer left in the corner. Now, it stands in front of you.

Raised in Herefordshire, a largely overlooked area producing some of the UK's finest raw ingredients, I have a proudly British identity focussed on celebrating local farmers. I'm working with wild boar from the Forest of Dean due to its local and invasive nature. The dish then boasts the bounty of produce and flavours available from Herefordshire's farmers. Food should be exciting yet approachable, but also sustainable, low-waste and deeply connected to local communities and landscapes.

Through a desire to seek out and understand culture outside of my own, I have been able discover so much about myself and the food I want to create. I am inspired by the flavours/methods of the world, and I want to use what I have discovered by cooking delicious food without boundaries. Ode to Sam Yee is an homage to my partner who has shared her culture with me. This dish combines Chinese flavours with my classically trained French cooking methods. This is about creating new traditions.

It is my homage to one of the most iconic animals of a place which I now call home, the Scottish Highlands. I want to express my identity as a chef in this competition by using local and sustainable ingredients, showing respect for the animal by using everything I could. I wanted to showcase the techniques I have learnt in my short time in this industry, with butchery, pastry work and sauce making at the heart of the dish.

I think that cooking in our future will be simpler in a way. I think the best food is created with us allowing our ingredients to be who they are, by being intentional with each ingredient we choose and how we decide to work with them. I use the term happy food not just when someone feels joy eating, but as the cook who gets to reflect on a time in their life because they got to cook their dish.

I see the future of cooking as an act of respect for those around you. Care and community are often lost now, but amongst chefs, it will never cease. I believe my role as a chef is to cook honestly, respect the integrity of the ingredient and to share the joy of cooking with as many people as I can. This dish draws inspiration from all that have given me the gift of knowledge, nostalgia and practice. With this dish I hope to honor those gifts and create new experiences as such for others.

By celebrating the products and cuisine of the Chesapeake Bay I hope to generate interest in its preservation. Oysters in particular are an iconic Chesapeake Bay species that have been decimated, like many other native populations, by habitat loss, poor water quality and harvest pressure. The modern Chesapeake pantry must reflect current sustainable harvests and farmed oysters exemplify this expectation. Chesapeake chefs must adopt this pantry to maintain the watershed's rich culinary tradition.

As a child, poultry with crayfish was a dish that left a deep impression on me. Today, I reinterpreted it in my own way. My grandfather from Vendée raised his own poultry, while my Breton grandfather took me fishing. I grew up between these two worlds – land and sea – and this is the duality I want to express on the plate.

Breton lobster replaces the crayfish: the same spirit, drawn from my roots. My cooking is defined by bold, honest flavours, influences I embrace openly, and a desire to connect with people in a simple, direct way.

I was inspired by the future of global nutrition: I asked myself a simple question. Where is humanity going? In terms of evolutionary nutrition and fine dining I created this vegetarian course with the reflective purpose of having an eco-sustainable impact on planet earth. I was inspired in the construction of the dish by my homeland Puglia, in Italy, and I created it in a contemporary key.

With this dish I actually want to transfer all my passion and love to the detail. From the first step to the last arrangement of the flower. How many thoughts have gone into this dish. How to use everything from an animal. How I can best transmit my emotions to the guest. The filigree and delicacy of the dish. But in the end it's the taste that counts, that's my priority. I also want to be able to stand behind it 100 percent and I want to tell myself, that I can't do it better at the moment.