S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy

Chefs as influencers 

We know that to deal with the increasingly urgent challenges faced by the global food system, we need to accelerate the pace of change. Young chefs, especially those recognised on a global stage have a huge opportunity to influence the wider food service sector to push towards a better food future with every meal served.  

That’s why initiatives that encourage and celebrate young chefs who are already working towards this goal, such as the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy are so valuable. Supporting and inspiring tomorrow’s chefs to use their influence to help improve our food system is critical.  

The transformative power of gastronomy

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy is an inspiring global community, where more than 2000 talented and passionate young chefs connect with the most influential and renowned members of the gastronomic world.  

Since 2015 the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy has been celebrating the most talented up and coming young chefs through its Young Chef Academy Competition, a global award that enables chefs under the age of 30 to enter for free, by presenting one dish that represents them and their philosophy towards gastronomy. In 2019, for the first time the competition wanted to specifically recognise those chefs working hard to ensure that their food not only tasted good, but did good too.  

Judging dishes, not restaurants 

The Sustainable Restaurant Association worked in partnership with S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy to devise a method of judging the chef’s dishes in order to award the Social Responsibility prize at all regional finals as well as the Grand Finale in Milan.  

Using the Sustainable Restaurant Association as a third-party expert to judge this award ensures independence and credibility, as well as providing the obvious sustainability expertise. The SRA developed a set of eight criteria, covering a range of social and environmental issues, which all entrants are scored against. 

Not only are we involved in the judging element of the competition, but we’ve also been delighted to provide in-person and online workshops to all chefs within the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy. From practical sessions on how to identify sustainable ingredients to issues around animal welfare and the complexity of seafood sourcing, we’re thrilled to take this opportunity to educate tomorrow’s leading chefs.   

Learn more about the judging process and criteria — reviewed and updated for 2024 — here!

The future is bright for global gastronomy 

Tomorrow’s next top chefs clearly recognise the principle that food is at its best when it’s the result of socially responsible practices.  

Demonstrated by the first global winner of the S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award, Callan Austin’s dish; The Ghost Net, highlighting the importance of our oceans to our planet’s health and using fish caught by the chef himself.  

Currently judging our second Grand Finale, we are in no doubt that the future of global gastronomy is in responsible hands.