S.Pellegrino launches Young Chef Academy

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Today gastronomy plays a pioneering role driving social and environmental change: with the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy launch, S.Pellegrino wishes to cultivate an international talent ecosystem pushing a continuous evolution, not only within the sector, but also across society.

Strongly believing in the transformative power of gastronomy, S.Pellegrino aims to grow the S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition into a unique educational platform, which will attract, connect and nurture the next generation of culinary game-changers, an act even more crucial in such challenging times.

The plan of education opportunities addressed to young chefs will be developed in collaboration with some of the most renowned members of the global gastronomy community and a selection of prestigious partners.

From a culinary competition to a platform with purpose

Keeping the S.Pellegrino Young Chef cooking competition as backbone, the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy sets the educational approach as the core of its program. Synonymous with passion and dedication, the academy is an inclusive place, where youth meets experience, supporting the development of the next generation of visionary talents wanting to make a difference in gastronomy worldwide.

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy opens its doors to participants from more than 70 countries, ensuring that talent knows no boundaries in terms of ethnicity, gender, geography or any other extraneous factors. All the young candidates selected for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition automatically enter the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, together with the senior profiles - Sages, Mentors and Jurors – involved in the different editions of the contest.

A connected community, mentored by industry leaders

Members of the global culinary community, who already left their mark during the S.Pellegrino Young Chef journey, will share their precious expertise within the Academy, enjoying the opportunity to pass on their personal beliefs to the next generations of chefs.

Well-known chefs Enrico Bartolini, Massimo Bottura, Manu Buffara, Andreas Caminada, Mauro Colagreco, Gavin Kaysen, Clare Smyth and the editor-in-chief of Fine Dining Lovers, Ryan King are the first ones who join the project; they will collaborate with S.Pellegrino to enrich the educational programme, developing an exclusive calendar of webinars, interviews and discussions available on the academy’s digital properties.

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy will also be supported by a selection of partners, including ALMA - La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana, Google, Facebook and Fondazione Altagamma, available to contribute to the academic contents exploring different relevant topics - innovation, inclusivity, communication, among others - and enlarging the qualified offer to Young Chefs.

Stefano Bolognese, Sanpellegrino international business unit director, says: "We are particularly proud to announce the opening of our S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, as a further step to our commitment in shaping the future of gastronomy, together with the most brilliant chef community.

"The project aims to facilitate talent discovery and connection, with a specific focus on the young generations of chefs, who will be the game-changers of tomorrow. Furthermore, today, having dedicated virtual spaces to share experiences, ideas and opportunities have become crucial to deal with the challenges of the future.

"We developed the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy as an international community, connected across digital and human networks, with a credible approach supported by the influential industry figures and partners that are joining (and will join) this stimulating adventure with us."