Grand Finale 2025 Milan: Day 1 unfolding now

The first morning saw seven of the finalists each spend five hours preparing their signature dish, before presenting it to the Grand Jury with the support of their mentor. As a succession of elaborate and elegant dishes emerged from the kitchens, the judges repeatedly praised the extremely high quality of the creations presented.

First up was chef Theo Kopp (West Europe), accompanied by his mentor Cyril Molard. On tasting Kopp's signature dish, an interpretation of a traditional "potée Lorraine", jury member Royer declared that the competition was "starting on a very high note", with Klugmann adding that "the ingredients told the story of the dish before his words did".

Next came Ardy Ferguson (Asia) and mentor Vicky Lau, presenting his signature dish "Archipelago Celebration", which was praised for its punchy but harmonious combination of flavours, judge Chan revealing that "the aromas instantly took me back to my childhood in Hong Kong".

This was followed by a heartfelt presentation of "Ode to Sam Yee" by Ben Miller (UK) accompained by his mentor Santiago Lastra. Miller who explained that the dish was "the story of a relationship with a girl who really opened me up to food culture". Jury member Reygadas clearly appreciated the storytelling, thanking Miller for his honesty, and stating "You're really cooking with your feelings."

The fourth young chef to present was Ya Min Liu (Mainland China) with his mentor Jacqueline Qiu. After tasting his "Symphony of Layered Flavours", Klugmann and Royer both highlighted the young chef's courageous use of extremely spicy Sichuan pepper.

Edoardo Tazzanini (Italy), mentored by Giancarlo Perbellini, then made an assured and elegant presentation of "An artichoke heart". He was praised by several jurors for reversing the usual roles by putting a vegetable at the centre of his creation and giving meat only a secondary part, while an impressed Tsumara called the dish "simplicity taken to perfection".

Next, accompanied by his mentor Johannes Richter, came Luckson Mare (Africa, Middle East & South Asia), who presented his signature dish "duck with sweet potato and matungulu" (a local plum). Chan was impressed by what he described as "a combination of flavours I've never had before", while Nakayama described it as "fun to eat because each item produces a different feeling".

The first day's presentations concluded with Emilia Montz (Central Europe), accompanied by mentor Rosina Ostler. Montz explained how her elegant creation "Russian ballet", inspired by her roots and by Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, was a "dive into another world, a world I lived in for a long time." Nakayama told Montz she had done an "amazing job of telling the story visually", while Tsumara said the dish "looked very delicate but was actually an explosion of flavours".

In closing remarks, Klugmann expressed her appreciation of the theatricality of the presentations, saying"As chefs, our career is thousands of performances, and you have to enjoy them", while Royer confessed that the judges had been moved. "When food comes from the heart, it touches us," he noted, adding "it's clear that choosing a winner won't be an easy task... and it's still Day 1!"

In the afternoon, the seven members of the Grand Jury – as well as the winner of the 2022-2023 competition, chef Nelson Freitas – took part in a special new initiative that will be revealed in the coming months. Stay tuned to find out more!

Day 2 will see the eight remaining finalists present their signature dishes, before everyone reunites in the evening for the award ceremony and closing dinner. Watch this space for all the news including, of course, the announcement of the winner of the world's Best Young Chef 2025!