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About IIHM’s YCO 2021
The latest 7th edition of the International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) 2021, organised by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in association with International Hospitality Council (IHC), London will ‘Zoom’ into the kitchens of Student Chefs from 100 countries as they present their culinary skills. As they go to war again, participants are expected to compete for that coveted title, this time virtually due to the ongoing Global Pandemic. While participants from 55 countries fly down every year for this culinary battle, the stakes have only increased in YCO 2021, with the tournament making room for even more countries for its seventh edition. The competition will likely be held in the first week of February. “The entire world is going through a challenging time and things have come to a standstill. However, even a pandemic cannot stop the spirit of the Young Chef Olympiad, and we are expecting participation from over one hundred countries this time. While we will miss the physical aspect of it, the fellowship, bonding and camaraderie between students from across the globe and their mentors and judges will still be present,” said Dr Suborno Bose, chairman, YCO Global Council. In the first round, contestants will be divided into virtual breakout rooms on the basis of their time zones. They will be given two-and-a-half hours to prepare three dishes. Following the first round, the top 10 participants will move into the grand finale, where they will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. The participants ranked between the 11th and 20th positions will compete for the Plate trophy. A four-camera setup, which includes a front-facing laptop camera, a camera focused on the entire table, a camera capturing the dish from the top, and a mobile camera for judges to be able to take a closer look at the dish. This elaborate setup is needed to create an environment that replicates a physical kitchen as closely as possible. To ensure smooth operation of the technical setup, there will be a run-through 45 days before the start of the event, where all participants will be briefed While judging a competition on food virtually might seem like a challenge, the entire process has been carefully mapped out. The comprehensive multi-camera setup is aimed at ensuring maximum transparency. Star British chef David Foskett, the chair of the panel of judges, and three adjudicators will be given access to visit any room they want during the competition, to ensure fair play and impartiality. Since taste is a vital part of culinary competitions, the judges panel will appoint a country judge to every participant who will taste the dishes and coordinate with the panel regarding the texture, temperature, mouth feel, flavours, seasoning and other aspects which can’t be experienced through a screen. Impressing the judges’ panel comprising Michelin star chefs such as Chris Galvin and Brian Turner will not be easy. Chef Enzo Oliveri, Chef John Wood, Andreas Muller and the likes of Padma Shri Sanjeev Kapoor, YCO jury will add glitz to the competition. Participants will be tested on a variety of parameters like hygiene, presentation, health and safety. They will also be marked on how well they follow the methodology of the recipe, while also using ingredients creatively. The World is waiting to experience the Biggest Virtual Culinary Battle for Hope, YCO21 that will again bring forth ideas, innovations and one amazing virtual battle.
IIHM’s YCO2021-The World’s Biggest Culinary Event
The trophies were given away at the glittering prize distribution by Dr. SubornoBose, Chairman, YCO and IHC, Professor David Foskett, Chairman of IHC, and PadmaShri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, the Principal Judge and Chief Mentor of YCO, and ChefBrian Turner, the President of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, in thepresence of the 18 esteemed judges of YCO 2020. YCO 2020 had a brilliant panel of esteemed judges from around the world. Besides the competition, the participants from 50 countries along with their mentors and the judges took part in various Food Aid activities, supporting IIHM’s initiative to support the UN’s Sustainable Goal Number 2 of Zero Hunger.
About IIHM & 10 Campuses
IIHM (International Institute of Hotel Management) is the largest chain of premier hospitality and hotel management schools across India that started its journey in 1994 at Kolkata. IIHM is a part of Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. IIHM campuses are located across ten national and international cities with the associate institute IAM-IHM located in Kolkata, Goa and Guwahati. Students passing out of IIHM are armed with an international degree from the University of West London and equipped with global hospitality skills that enable easy placements in any hospitality brand across the world. IIHM is dedicated to its pursuit of excellence in teaching and placements. Real time experience is the key to success in hospitality and that makes the institute popular. In recent years, IIHM has been instrumental in organizing the Young Chef Olympiad, a unique idea and initiative inviting young culinary talents across the world to participate in the biggest cookery reality shows of all times. The institute has bagged several prestigious awards in the past 24 years. The list includes the Best Education Brand Award from Economic Times consecutively in 2017, 2018 and 2019. It was also featured in Forbes Magazine as Great Indian Institute and Great Place to Study consecutively in the year 2018 and 2019. IIHM was also awarded as one among the World’s Greatest Brands & Leaders 2015-16 by URS International (IMEA – Process Reviewer PriceWaterhouseCoopers PL) and also received the Best Institute in Hospitality Education 2017 Award by Assocham from Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Govt. of India. IIHM, the premier chain of Hospitality and Culinary Arts is located across 10 campuses including Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Bangalore, Goa and two international campuses in Bangkok and Samarkand.
YCO 2021 PARTICIPANTS
