Young Chef Young Waiter Winners Announced in the World’s Best Chef and Waiter Competition

The winners of the Young Chef Young Waiter 2020 competition were announced on Wednesday 21 July 2021 in a glamourous evening at the luxury five-star hotel, The Dorchester in London.

The Young Chef Young Waiter competition, which was established in 1979, was relaunched by The Nth Degree Global last year in partnership with UKHospitality and the Restaurant Association, to promote hospitality as a career of choice, a profession and a vocation. The event is supporting The Springboard Charity’s FutureChef and the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Adopt a School.

Prizes for the winners are some of the best in the industry and include some money can’t buy experiences.

The overall winner gets a Mercedes-Benz A Class including insurance for a year. 

Recipe box company and YCYW Awards partner The Cookaway offered the winning chef the chance to collaborate on a limited edition menu. The Cookaway currently has a number of leading chefs on its platform, including former MasterChef finalists Jack Lucas, Claire Hutchings and Sara Danesin and MasterChef winners Irini Tzortzoglou and Ping Coombes. 

Frerejean Frères offered the second prize winners an expenses paid overnight stay in their maison and winery located in the Grand Cru village of Avize, Champagne, where they will be hosted by Mr Frerejean-Taittinger.

Third place winners receive an eight course tasting menu for two supplied by Ruth Hansom  at The Princess of Shoreditch.

The YCYW UK chef finalists will receive a handmade 5K Damascus steel utility knife from 
5 Knives. 

The winners of YCYW China & South East Asia will win a week’s work experience at the Wynn hotels in Macao including accommodation. This will be at their array of restaurants including:
 Wing Lei Palace (Michelin 1 Star and Asia 50 Best ) and Sichuan Moon By Andre Chiang (2 Michelin Stars) at Wynn Palace; Wing Lei Heen (2 Michelin Stars), Mizumi (2 Michelin Stars) and Golden Flower (2 Michelin Stars) at Wynn Macau. They will also win a pair of Premium Economy return tickets (London to Asia) from EVA Air. Plus £500 spending money, kindly donated by Lee Kum Kee. 

The overall winners of the Young Chef Young Waiter UK and China & South East Asia competition for 2020, who will both win a Mercedes-Benz A-Class including insurance for a year, were: Peter Meechan of Gleneagles (UK YCYW Young Chef of the Year) and Marie Bouquet of TĪNG Restaurant, Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London (YCYW China & South East Asia Young Waiter of the Year).

Head chef judge Theo Randall announced that Peter Meechan of Gleneagles was the winner of the UK Young Chef award with second place going to Alexandra Henderson from The Lansdowne Club and third place was Valère Ruiz of 14 Hills.

Headwaiter judge Simon King announced the UK winner as Florian David from The Waterside Inn, the second was Hellie Honney from The Gleneagles Hotel and the third place was Declan Wilkins of The Hand and Flowers.

Chairwoman of YCYW China & South East Asia Ching-He Huang announced that Tibor Palasti of The Sushi Bar Harrods was the winner, second place was Qing Lee Chen of Imperial Treasure and third place was Kevin Hoang of Lu Ban.

Headwaiter judge of YCYW China & South East Asia Andy Downton announced that Marie Bouquet of TĪNG Restaurant, Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London was the winner, second place was Simone Rizzo from TĪNG Restaurant, Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London and third place was Sabrina Aquilina of TĪNG Restaurant, Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London.

Talkng about the winners Theo Randall said: “It was a pleasure to judge YCYW again and made me proud of how much young talent is bursting through at such a difficult time. Peter Meechan is a natural cook with outstanding ability, the dishes he created were not just perfectly cooked but the skill he showed in preparation was a joy to watch. He is currently working at the legendary Gleneagles Hotel, who have helped develop another star of the future. I wish Peter all the success he deserves and look forward to seeing this talented young man reach the pinnacle of our beloved industry.”

Simon King said: “I was once again delighted with the standard of the finalists all of which did brilliantly. What made Florian stand out was his attention to detail, consistency and composure throughout. He was never knocked off his stride which allowed his passion and personality shine through, undoubtedly a star in the making!”

Chairman of YCYW Robert Walton MBE said: “I’m delighted that we have finally been able to conclude our 2020 final in spectacular fashion. This has been a very tough year for hospitality, yet there are fantastic opportunities ahead for our talented young finalists in hospitality. In addition, it is the first year of our YCYW China & South East Asia event which is our first step to a truly global competition. I’m looking forward to the 2021 YCYW final which will take place in November at the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai in the UAE. The new partnership with the Department for International Trade, takes Young Chef Young Waiter 2021 to a global audience, making it more exciting than ever for our competitors.”

Entry for Young Chef Young Waiter 2021 is now open, you can find out more, here!

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