Ready, set, cook! Local chef to represent Malta at the Young Chef Olympiad next week

You’ve probably heard of the Tokyo summer Olympics happening later this year, but we wager few of you know of an international cooking competition which is a chef’s equivalent to an athlete’s Olympics.

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The Young Chef Olympiad, described as the greatest culinary Olympiad on planet earth, was a concept born out of a desire to bring the world closer, and what better way to do it than with food?

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The competition has expanded rapidly since its first edition, where it welcomed representatives from 15 countries. Now in its sixth edition, it is set to welcome chefs from 55 countries, split into six different categories and spread over four cities in India: Delhi, Goa, Bangalore and Pune.

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Cheftestant Christian Catania, who will be mentored by Chef Mark Tabone, will be representing the Corinthia Palace and Malta at the Young Chef Olympiad. This is not the first time Malta has participated in the competition; Malta was also part of the Young Chef Olympiad through Cheftestant Reuben Borg, mentored by Stefan Hogan.

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Stefan will this year be returning to the competition as one of 18 international judges. "I always look forward to this trip as it is an amazing opportunity to contribute to an event that has such a feel-good effect on all the young chefs," he wrote in his biography on the official competition website.

He also emphasises sustainability, which is one of the pillars of this culinary competition: "A real chef must have a strong commitment towards achieving a sustainable cuisine whereby he takes an interest in where the ingredients come from and how can he get the best out of them. Only by fully being in tune to nature and your surroundings can you create a menu that is true to the ethos of sustainability," he wrote, adding that a chef should always look for ways to reduce the amount of food that goes in the waste bin. 

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The Maltese chefs will be battling it out in Pune where they will be competing against fellow chefs from Malaysia, Turkey, Ghana, Croatia, Hong Kong, Portugal, Maldives, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The competition kicks off on Tuesday 28th January with an opening celebration held in Delhi, where if the same format as earlier editions is followed, competitors will walk into the arena carrying their country’s flag, just like in the sports Olympics. The Maltese team will then travel to Pune where they will compete in two rounds on two separate days; the first round will be held on Thursday 30th January and will last for 90 minutes, followed up by a second round the following day lasting two hours.

The finalists will then be announced on Saturday 1st February, with the finals, awards and closing ceremony held on Sunday 2nd February.

Best of luck to the Maltese delegation!