Hyderabad, Feb.4 (NSS): The world’s biggest culinary event, the 11th edition of Young Chef Olympiad held at International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) on Tuesday on its Campus in Gachibowli.
Student Chef Representatives of 50 countries are participating in the Olympiad. It is the biggest ever in the past 10 editions. Nine countries out of 50 participated in Round 1 of the competition. The competition is being held simultaneously across five centers — Kolkata, Goa, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. The top 20 of these will qualify for semi-finals and 10 for finals to be held in Kolkata on February 8. The three winners together will walk away with Rs 10 lakh besides a golden trophy. Azerbaijan won the trophy in the last two years consecutively. One Indian student from Bangalore Ali Akbar was chosen out of eight campuses of IIHM India in the competition. He is competing in Round 1 in Goa.
Addressing media persons, Dr Suborno Bose, chairman and Chief Mentor of the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) said, the Olympiad began with 15 countries participating in it. Now the number has gone up to 50. The objective of the competition is to spread a message of unity through food. Dr Bose also the chairman of the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and the founder of the Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) said AI (Artificial Intelligence) is making culinary experience exciting. It is revolutionizing in meal planning, personalization, exploring smart kitchen appliances, menu planning, food presentation, plating, reducing waste etc he said. The theme of this year Young Chef Olympiad is AI. AI is cooking a lot in the cooking industry, he said.
Dr Nawab Mir Nasir Ali Khan, Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan Hyderabad and the following International YCO Judges were among the many, who graced the Olympiad at Hyderabad. (NSS)