PUNE: Kamran Taylor, a young chef from England, was crowned champion at the world’s largest competition for young chefs, the IIHM International Young Chef Olympiad, which featured participants from 50 countries.

In a glittering Grand Finale of the 11th edition of YCO, contested by the top ten teams after the first two rounds, Armenia’s Arsen Armenakyan secured the Silver. At the same time, Yves Gabriel Cabrera Po from the Philippines won the Bronze Trophy.

The 11th edition of the Young Chef Olympiad was organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC), London.

The host country, India, made the nation proud as Chef Aliakbar Mustafa Rampurawala from IIHM Bangalore won the prestigious Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge Prize, along with UAE’s Jasmin Ali Maher Lutfi Jarrar. This unique category featured 28 teams, which were not placed in either the Grand Finale or the Plate rounds. In a spirit of culinary collaboration, they were divided into 14 pairs, representing two countries each.

The Plate Trophy, contested by teams ranked between 11 and 20 after the first round, was proudly lifted by South Korea’s Shi-Hyun An.

The YCO Champion, Plate Trophy winner, and Dr. Suborno Bose International Culinary Challenge recipients were chosen after two rounds of intense competition showcasing the best culinary talents from around the world.

Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of the Young Chef Olympiad, said, “The world of culinary arts is united under the grand Kolkata sky. Culinary diplomacy means this. In a united world of young chefs, it’s the best way to make the world happy and sustainable through food. Only in India can you achieve something like this. This year, YCO felt like a family, and we had a new venue for the opening ceremony in Goa, on the banks of the Arabian Sea.”

Prof David Foskett OBE, Chairman of the Jury for YCO said, “YCO is a grand celebration of friendship, Unity and Passion. It depicts the unifying power of food in a world of conflict. YCO can happen only in India, under the visionary leadership of Dr Bose, who does it again and again and again.”

Padmashri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor remarked, “YCO is surely about compassion. But when you do it for 11 years, you multiply the compassion. YCO is also about competition with collaboration. Dr Bose is not only a lovable madman with a golden jacket, but he is a man of steel.” 

Dr. Bose also highlighted IIHM’s efforts in integrating AI into hospitality and hospitality education. He announced IIHM’s Global Knowledge Sharing Declaration on AI in Hospitality with 50 countries, promoting inclusivity, human touch, and sustainability.

On a magical night in Kolkata, everyone emerged as winners, as the united world of young chefs celebrated their roles as ambassadors of culinary diplomacy, dancing into the night amidst a swirl of colors and cultures.

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At the end of seven eventful days across six cities in India, an epic edition of the world’s Biggest Culinary Battle came to a glamorous close. Connecting over 60 countries of the world, YCO24 was one of the biggest in size and scale. The Closing Ceremony was equally grand and exciting as it took place at Kolkata’s popular amusement park, Wet o Wild.

Besides the top three, YCO 2024 had a long list of special category winners. The Plate Trophy round which was held between the next best teams ranked between 11 to 20 in the competition, went to India’s Lenin Bopanna. The Kitchen Cut Management Award went to New Zealand. The Best Vegetarian Dish went to Nepal while the Best Crème Souffle a l’Orange went to Italy.

Six Best Mentor Nominee Awards were given away based on each of the mentor’s recommendations about their respective participants. The awards went to Greece, Jordan, Netherlands, Ethiopia, Botswana, and Equatorial Guinea. The six Best Young Chef Ambassador Awards went to Australia, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Scotland, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Participants were also marked on Best Hygiene and Kitchen Practice maintained during the competition and this award went to six countries, namely, Namibia, Portugal, England, Bulgaria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Best Knife Skills Award went to Thailand, Portugal, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Lord Bilimoria Rising Stars Award went to Namibia, Albania, Uzbekistan, Mauritius, Ireland, and Oman. The Gold Global Sustainability Award went to Kenya. The Spirit of Young Chef Olympiad International Award went to Lesotho.

The Dr Bose Challenge Trophy which was introduced this year for participants who did not come in the top 20 teams, went to Kenya and Switzerland.

Organized by the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and hosted by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), YCO 2024 was a true celebration of the spirit of One World One YCO.

YCO 2024 had a brilliant panel of esteemed judges from around the world. Led by Prof

David Foskett, OBE, Chairman of the Jury, and Chef John Wood, the Founder and Director of Kitchen Cut were Chief Judges of the event. The Deputy Chief Judge was Chef Rahul Akerkar, the renowned Chef and Restaurateur. The panel Jury included some famous globally famous culinary faces such as Chef Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, Sicilian Chef Enzo Oliveri, pastry chef and chocolatier Sarah Hartnett, Dato’ Chef Abdul Wahab Zamzani, Celebrity Chef from Malaysia, Chef Neil Rippington, International Director, IIHM and Chef Mario Perera, Executive Chef Dorchester Collection.

YCO 2024 continued to embrace the important and significant theme of Sustainability promoting the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A special award, the Zenobia Nadirshaw Diamond Research Award went to students who had done research on the SDGs and how to achieve them to make the world a better place to live. Four awards in this category went to Kenya, Bangladesh, India and Italy.

“Preparing and organizing an event of this stature needs the might of an organization and leadership that runs a network of connected institutes across the country, manages people from different places, with an alumni base of tens of thousands, and is loved by the entire world,” said Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Principal Judge and Mentor, YCO.

“There are years when nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen. That’s what happened in the pandemic. It taught us the importance of health and sustainability and brought us close to food. I am so glad that YCO has embodied both food and sustainability in this competition,” said Nakul Anand, eminent hotel and travel industry personality who is now Chairman of the YCO Global Advisory Committee.

“YCO 2024 was special because it was the 10 year. It has been a wonderful decade in which we have received incredible support from the countries, mentors, judges, and everyone who was involved. We are committed to the UN SDGs and we are also proud and grateful to the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili for his support, especially because he launched the 10th YCO by inaugurating the chef jacket that the participants are wearing this year. The Young Chef Olympiad is the greatest platform to promote Youth Culinary Diplomacy, a platform to bring the world together through the power of youth. YCO will continue to celebrate and carry forward the spirit of One World One YCO in the years to come,” said Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of, the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and Founder, of YCO.

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