Meet the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25 collateral award winners
Discover who’s taking home the Social Responsibility, Connection in Gastronomy and Food for Thought awards.
Ahead of the Grand Finale of S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25 in Milan on 28-29 October, where 15 talented young chefs will compete for the chance to be crowned the best young chef in the world, three collateral prizes have been announced.
These global prizes – the S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award, Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award and Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award – are awarded to young chefs who have already won said awards at their respective regional finals.
Find out who these global collateral prize winners are, along with more about the prizes and how they’re awarded, below.
Young chef Noah Wynants, representing the North Europe region, has been announced as the global winner of the Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award. Voted for by the competition mentors, the award is given to the young chef who is able to express both the culinary traditions of their region and a modern vision through a signature dish.
Wynants’ dish, Dutch ‘Rendang’, is entirely plant-based and was so accomplished that he was declared the overall winner of his Regional Final and will compete for the main prize at the Grand Finale. He also picked up the Fine Lovers Food for Thought Award at his Regional Final.
“This award perfectly represents what this dish is all about. We use only local ingredients from small nearby farmers. What’s grown close to home gets a worldly twist creating a dish that feels local, but tastes global. That’s why we’re truly happy and proud to receive this recognition,” said Wynants, who currently cooks at De Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands.
Young chef Zanté Neethling, representing the Africa, Middle East & South Asia region, has gone one better than her regional S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award at the 2022-23 competition, winning the global prize at this edition.
The award is voted for by the Sustainable Restaurant Association, which runs the Food Made Good program certifying sustainable food and beverage businesses around the world, and is given to the chef whose signature dish best exemplifies the use of sustainable practises. Neethling’s dish, Tribute to the Khoi-Khoin Taras, is based on indigenous South African healing plants.
“The Social responsibility award 2025 is for my country, South Africa. We are celebrating the history of the Khoi-Khoin tribe that walked these southern coastlines, healing their families with ancient knowledge and honouring their deep connection with our lands’ flora and fauna. Their legacy serves as a reminder of the profound connection between humanity, nature and nourishment,” said Neethling, who is currently Executive Sous Chef at Beyond restaurant in Cape Town.
Young chef Nicolás A. López, representing the USA, is the winner of the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award for his dish, Pork with Hints of the Sea. The award is voted for by readers of the S.Pellegrino platform Fine Dining Lovers and the wider gastronomic community, and is the only collateral prize decided by the public.
The prize is given to the chef who best represents their personal beliefs and values through their signature dish.
"Winning the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award is a true honour. Cooking is more than perfecting recipes – it’s about telling stories that transform meals into memories and bring people together. This recognition inspires me to continue telling stories through my food – stories that become memories people carry with them long after the meal is over," said Lopez, who currently works at 888 in Nashville.
