Antonio Buono wins the French final of the S.PELLEGRINO® YOUNG CHEF 2018 competition at Le Cordon Bleu Paris institute

Paris, September 2017 - Antonio Buono is the overall winner of the French final of the S.PELLEGRINO® YOUNG CHEF 2018 competition and will represent France, alongside Frédéric Anton, at the world final which will take place in Milan in June 2018.

The Young Chef competition is only open to Chefs under the age of 30 and its aim is to put the talent and creativity of these young Chefs to the test by enabling them to demonstrate their passion in a “signature-dish”. The competition puts this young generation of passionate Chefs, and the importance of transmitting this expertise, firmly in the spotlight and this is one of the reasons for which Le Cordon Bleu institute was delighted to host the event.

The competition, which was organized in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu institute, the leading Global Network of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institutes, saw ten of the most talented young Chefs in France come head to head. Antonio Buono was declared winner of the S.PELLEGRINO® YOUNG CHEF 2018 France competition, qualifying for the final which will take place in June 2018 in Milan.

Thanks to his “Mediterranean scorpion fish, black rouille, rhubarb, wild celery and mountain flowers”, Antonio Buono clinched victory over the other nine contestants. The French semi-finalists, who were aiming to win a place in the Grand Final, were selected after submitting a written application to ALMA, the leading international centre for learning and training in Italian cuisine.

The 10 signature dishes of the 10 French contestants competing for the title of S.PELLEGRINO® YOUNG CHEF France 2018 were tried and tested by an exceptional jury led by Frédéric Anton, Honorary President and Mentor of the French team, who was helped in this difficult task by Chefs Philippe Mille and Christophe Bacquié. The members of this outstanding jury personify the excellence of French cuisine thanks to their unique culinary identities.

“I am Italian, but I am proud to represent France” declared the young Chef from the Mirazur restaurant in Menton and winner of the French final.

Frédéric Anton is delighted to continue this magnificent adventure alongside Antonio Buono who has more than measured up to this exceptional competition.

A group of Culinary Arts students from Le Cordon Bleu Paris institute were actively involved in the event, providing support to the young Chefs for the duration of the challenges with which they were faced. This educational project was organized by Executive Chef and Culinary Arts Director, Éric Briffard, and supervised by Chef Instructor Williams Caussimon.

Assisting Antonio Buono was Juho Jung, a Cuisine Diploma student at the institute. Nine other students like Juho provided assistance to the young Chefs during this crucial contest.

The local competitions will continue to run from June to December 2017 with semi-finalists, from all over the globe, coming face-to-face. At the end of December 2017, 21 Young Chefs will officially be declared finalists and will be able to begin working with their “Mentor” Chef, who will be tasked with coaching and providing support to the 21 Young Chefs right up to the Grand Final!

Photo credit: restovisio