The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25 has a winner!
Ardy Ferguson wins the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award 2024-25
It's official: Ardy Ferguson is the winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25. Representing Asia, the young chef from Belon restaurant in Hong Kong, accompanied by his mentor Vicky Lau, seriously impressed the Grand Jury of internationally renowned chefs – Christophe Bacquié, Jeremy Chan, Antonia Klugmann, Niki Nakayama, Elena Reygadas, Julien Royer, and Mitsuharu Tsumura. The signature dish with which he won the title was "Archipelago Celebration", which he describes as "a celebration of the vibrant culinary traditions of Indonesia, also inspired by the gastronomic traditions of Hong Kong."
The ceremony was also the occasion for the winners of the competition’s three collateral awards – Zanté Neethling (S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award), Noah Wynants (Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award) and Nicolás A. López (Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award) – to pick up their prestigious prizes.
Accepting the title of the world's Best Young Chef 2025, Ferguson declared it an incredible honour to have been able to present his dish to a jury of the best chefs in the world. He was also quick to thank his mentor, acclaimed chef Vicky Lau, saying: "Without her help, I wouldn't be here right now." The young chef then dedicated his award to his family, to the team at Belon, and "to the other young chefs and mentors I have had the privilege of getting to know in the past couple of days". He went on to say that his biggest take-away from the experience was"the mentorship and community aspect of it all," stressing the importance of cultivating community in the world of dining in general.
After the prize-giving, guests at the event were treated to a special gala dinner prepared by none other than chef Nelson Freitas, talented winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2022-2023: a fitting example of the Academy's mission to nurture talent through connection and opportunity in the global fine dining community.
