The Battle is on at the World's Biggest Culinary Extravaganza

NEW DELHI, January 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

The International Young Chef Olympiad 2019 (YCO19) kicked off to a brilliant start on 28th January, 2019 at the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Auditorium in Delhi. YCO 2019, the world's biggest Culinary Extravaganza is being presented by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in association with the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and supported by the Government of West Bengal. The competition has commenced from 29th January with Rounds 1 and 2 taking place on Pune, Bangalore and Delhi and the final round of competition due to take place in Kolkata on 1st and 2nd February. 

     (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/809730/IIHM_Young_Chef_Olympiad_2019.jpg )

A Grand Opening Ceremony:  

A colourful opening ceremony befitting the scale and grandeur of YCO 2019 was held at the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Auditorium on the evening of 28th January, 2019. The mentors and participants from 50 countries from across the world marched into the auditorium with their country flags. The ceremony commenced with a host of cultural programmes, showcasing India's cultural heritage and following the traditional practice of welcoming guests with a taste of Indian culture.

Professor David Foskett, the Chairman of the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and member of International YCO Council said in his address, "Food brings people together and YCO is a celebration of the future through food and mutual understanding."

Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of the YCO 2019 Committee and Founder & Chief Mentor of IIHM, said, "Fifty of the World's Best, having travelled halfway across the globe to be a part of the Young Chef Olympiad 2019. The story of YCO started with 15 countries in 2015 and today the number stands at 50. It is heart warming to see the extraordinary response that the Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) has received from the YCO family worldwide. Unlike previous years, YCO 2019 is different. The global reach of YCO 2019 has escalated to new highs because of social media and technology and YCO is today the biggest ever hospitality platform to promote skills and talent. This year, IIHM has 6,000 students dedicated to tell the YCO story through social media. IIHM students will be covering the participants, mentors and judges through six days."

Every year, IIHM tries to add new flavours to this melting pot of culinary art and culture. This year, we decided to spice things up a bit in the World's Biggest Culinary Challenge, by introducing a Plate Trophy. Participants who rank between 11 and 20 in the competition will compete for the Plate Trophy. This will be like a competition within the YCO competition, and we hope it will add another layer of excitement and encouragement."

Cook-off Rounds: 

All 50 countries have been divided into six groups from A to F. The first rounds of the cook-offs have commenced from 29th January, 2019 at Delhi where groups A, B and C were participating. After a fun city tour of Delhi, teams in Groups D and E travelled to Pune while those in Group F flew down to Bangalore. All cook-off rounds were held at the IIHM campuses in the respective cities. 

Along with the participants and mentors a distinguished panel of judges and adjudicators are making the rounds of the four cities, judging the cheftestants on their performance that includes technique, skill, presentation and also hygiene. 

Prof David Foskett, the chair of the jury, Dr. Zenobia Nadirshaw, Chef Andrew Bennet, Chef Stuart Littlejohn, Chef Stefan Hogan, Chef Garth Stroebel and Kulsum Hussin were present in the Delhi round.

Chef Enzo Oliver, Andreas Muller were among the panel who were judging the competition in Pune. 

Final round: 

The final round of competition will be held in Kolkata where the top 10 cheftestants will battle it out for the YCO 2019 winner's trophy, a cheque of $10,000 and a gold medal. The next 10 contestants, placed between 11 to 20, will fight for the Plate Trophy on the same day. 

About IIHM:

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 in Kolkata. 2018 marked the 25th year of IIHM that is part of Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. IIHM campuses are located across eight 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 from across the world to participate in the biggest cookery reality show of all time.

The institute has bagged several prestigious awards including the Best Education Brand Award from Economic Times in 2018 and in 2017. IIHM was also awarded as one among the World's Greatest Brands & Leaders 2015-16 by URS International (IMEA - Process Reviewer PriceWaterhouseCoopers P.L.) and also received the Best Institute in Hospitality Education 2017 Award bv ASSOCHAM from Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon'ble Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Govt. of India.

For more information, please visit: https://iihm.ac.in/

For more information about the event, please visit: https://ycolympiad.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/iihmhotelschool

Media Contact:
Abdullah Ahmed
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Director, India