Regional Finalists 2022-23

My Dish, from a village by Kerala's backwaters, is inspired by where the historic spice route shaped our rich cultural heritage. I aim to BREAK THE SHELLS of outdated mud crab cooking methods, moving beyond traditional curries. I believe every part of the crab can be utilised wisely akin to other types of meat. My signature dish combines my grandmother's traditional flavour with innovative, sustainable twists inspired by my culinary travels in Southeast Asia, highlighting Kerala ingredients.

"‘Geumtae(sea perch)’ is a fish that reminds me of the fish market near my grandmother's house in Busan, Korea. This market, named 'Jagalchi,' is a place that demonstrated the wonderful magic of seasonal seafood caught by fishermen being transformed into delicious dishes through the medium of cooking. Furthermore, I believe that cooking with locally sourced ingredients contributes significantly to supporting small businesses and preserving the heritage of traditional local cuisine.

I would like to express familiar flavors through this dish — flavors I used to enjoy during my childhood. As time passed, I could no longer find this dish or experience it in the same way again, but I still clearly remember its taste and the feelings connected to it. Through this dish, I want to recreate those memories and pay tribute to one of my favorite childhood meals.

I want to pay tribute to our forests and also to our ancestors who lived there using ancestral cooking methods such as crust baking and banique bread. I also want to bring back memories and make you nostalgic with the smell of dead leaves when you go mushroom picking. The mushrooms will also be showcased, as will some of the trees that can be found there. I really want to transport the judges to a forest in the middle of autumn.

L’Aube au féminin celebrates all that embodies femininity in all its richness and diversity. Rooted in the earth, the beetroot represents strength and resilience; in pink, it celebrates beauty and gentleness. The flowers echo this gentleness and evoke kindness through their healing power. The female duck, the centrepiece of the dish, embodies protection, instinct and freedom. This dish pays tribute to those who infuse every new dawn with light and vitality.

“A Fire Between Two Homes” is a reflection of who I am today: a Filipino cook still learning, but deeply aware of what I carry. This dish begins with chicken inasal, a food shaped by fire, smoke, vinegar, annatto, and family memory. It speaks of my history, but also my future: to grow as a chef without forgetting home. My intent is to show Filipino food with honesty, restraint, and soul, and to prove that our stories deserve a place on the world stage

In this dish I want to give a stage to an ingredient that I think is underestimated (the horse) and represent it as much as possible. I take the food of the horse, the so-called soft food and complement with it parts of the animal to present the whole. I want this animal to be culinary understood from beginning to end.

I wish to inspire people to reconnect with their neighborhood. Regionality is not just practiced, it is lived! We need to encourage kids to engage in gastronomy. Let's show the next generation the joy of serving guests dishes made from locally-sourced ingredients, fostering connections with friends in the local farming community. Hopefully, kids today, through my cooking, will discover that, as my grandma always says: 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' Let's create paths worth taking.

The Char is a fish which lives directly in our alpine lakes in Ladis. So the main ingredient stands for my home town. The char is served in 2 different styles. Once as "Cordon Bleu" and once stained. With the dish i would like to show, that it´s possible to connect typical ingredients and tastes from my home town with tastes and ingredients from all over the world. So the whole world on "one plate".

I would like to express a simple message through my dish, the reduction of food waste and pollution. Through my life experiences, between Italy and France, I combined the cultures and some of the traditional dishes, to me close, in one. I talk about classic preparation of both countries revisited on a contemporary way. I use only sustainable food like mackerel (using every part) for responsible fishing and seaweed in substitution of animal proteins. Work local, think global.

I have to say that this dish means a lot to me, as part of my family works in livestock farming. As on most farms, they grow their own vegetables in a family garden, respecting the rhythm of the seasons. And the season of the chard coincides with the arrival of the fir buds, with their distinctive fragrance, which I have come to enjoy on my walks through the forests of the Pyrenees. It was to express my emotions in taste that I chose to naturally combine these two products.

Through this dish I wanted to put at the center of the plate a region which is rich with simple products. Sturgeon is not usually valued for its meat but for its caviar, it is not an easy fish to work, but I wanted to put it in the spotlight and use the caviar to season it only , give him back what belongs to him, with respect for the products and the producers.

My dish is inspired by the similarities between the foothills of the Chilean Andes and the north of Spain, especially Navarre. The freedom of the Chilean quail and the strength of the bull during the San Fermin festival represent the connection between these two distant lands. With local ingredients that must be used to the maximum, this dish brings me closer to home, allows me to discover its potential and motivates me to represent Chilean gastronomy in Navarra and the whole world.

500 characters are less than I imagined so I'm retyping everything and trying to be shorter I want to say with this dish that "tutto il mondo è paese" because from an idea of an italian dish (risotto ai frutti di mare), using spanish and mexican products and preparation I'm making a dish that is present in a different way in the three countries (arroz a la tumbada in mexico and paella de mariscos in spain).
As well I choose to use bivalves and seaweed because they are sustainable products.

I'm Osvaldo, and today I'm presenting a dish that pays tribute to trout, one of the most prized ingredients of the Aragonese Pyrenees. Through a cuisine rooted in respect, sustainability and locally sourced ingredients, I make the most of every element with care and purpose. My goal is to preserve the fish’s natural character while creating harmony across the dish, reflecting a thoughtful and responsible approach to cooking.

My journey starts with sweetbread, a beloved traditional dish from my homeland, often used in my professional experience. The “in carpione” pumpkin is prepared like Lake Garda fish. The langoustine is leveraged in its entirety, as the head is filled by an orangette and sided by a coconut milk-based drink that enhances its minerality. I designed this 3D-printed compostable set, which evokes the sweetbread with its texture, to raise the commensal’s awareness on the consuming of raw material.

The idea of ​​this dish is to make you live an experience, the feeling of being in Sicily, involving sight, taste and smell, using typical preparations and products, such as Mauro seaweed. A message that I would like to convey with this dish is to make people understand the importance of their territory, look for products that are used less and less today, enhance and promote them. In recent years, the Mauro seaweed has become increasingly difficult to find, due to sea pollution.

Through this dish, I want to convey the value of wholeness. Every part of the albacore tuna is celebrated: the Wellington highlights its finest cut, while Roman-style tripe and liver pâté give dignity to parts that are often discarded. The carrot, also used in its entirety, reinforces a message of respect, culinary memory and the mindful transformation of ingredients.

Through this dish, I want to tell the story of Panama as a meeting point of cultures. Inspired by my Chinese heritage, Afro-Caribbean influences, and local traditions, it celebrates the communities that shaped our identity. By making the most of every ingredient and highlighting the value of humble products, I aim to showcase how creativity and respect for raw materials can transform simple elements into something meaningful. Through the use of overlooked ingredients, I hope to convey a message.

Alma Patagonia is a creation that captures the soul of Chile´s southern territory. It is a dish that intertwines delicacies from diverse ecosystems, which vary from the depths of the sea, to lush fertile forests. This blend pays tribute to a culture that bases its cuisine on the available ingredients that Mother Earth provides, which must be used fully. Pure nature permeates through a combination of flavors and textures, and surprises the palates of adventurous gourmands.

I see the future of gastronomy as the ability to transform memories into impact. Chefs have a responsibility to preserve identities, create value for producers and artisans, and build bridges between cultures. Memorias was born from my journey from Peru to Costa Rica. Through this dish, I honor my roots and give a voice to the hands behind every ingredient, demonstrating that true innovation is born of respect for origins and a commitment to future generations.

In Chinese culture, there is an old saying, "Eat what is in season," which means that the right time creates flavors, and if missed, one must wait patiently. Watching the ingredients in the liquid or the proliferation of fungi during the making of rice koji, I have been struck by the unique flavors these processes bring to food, reminding me of the preciousness of life. As a chef, I believe it is my duty to cherish this gift of life brought by time, allowing it to continue in a different form. I believe that this gift should not be used solely for profit, but should be shared with everyone, allowing them to experience its charm.

For me, the meat of the turbot fish is tender and not fishy, and it often appears on every household's dining table. The common cooking methods include steaming, braising, pan-frying, and more. Although it is a very common fish, I want to try to create a unique experience based on my own understanding. Furthermore, it seems that the concept of "numbing and spicy" is not widely known internationally. I hope to introduce the concept and let more people understand the charm of Chinese cuisine and the unique flavors it offers

The inspiration for this dish came from my hometown: Ningbo, Zhejiang. There is a dish in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province called Stir-Fried Rice Cake and White Crab. The white rice cake on the plate is the original slice of rice cake with ginger oil brushed on it. Under the white rice cake are crab meat, chive, tarragon, crab paste egg meringue, and white crab bisque. The snack in the upper left corner is another dish inspired by hometown: bean curd skin-wrapped yellow croaker. I replaced the yellow croaker with crab legs and sprinkled the tomato puree powder from the Bisque making process. This dish is from my hometown, but it is presented in a way that is not traditional. I believe this presentation method can be accepted by more people.

We are taught that sacrifice is the only way to perfection, that the expense of people is a normal part of being a chef. That the best produce is from the other part of the world and that waste is an exception for fine dining. I believe that sustainability contains so much more than just local vegetables. Its also about leadership, a good working environment and treating ourselves with respect. Respect the people, respect the produce, respect the process. Respect the world.

Inspired by the warm flavours of a traditional Bulgarian clay pot feast, this dish is rooted in the memories and traditions that raised me. Preserved ingredients, walnuts, peppers, and the spirit of the family table stand at its core, while Dutch quail takes its place as the centrepiece. By combining the flavours of my childhood with influences gathered along my journey, it feels both familiar and unexpected. It honours my heritage, showing how food can carry memory forward.

Living on the Swedish west coast of course I love to work with anything from the sea next to me, something that is getting harder to do! The amount of fish in the sea is decreasing due to overfishing and the sea environment is getting destroyed due to questionable fishing methods. With my dish i like to showcase the fantastic and sustainable produce that we have in form of halibut farmed by sterling and cagecaught langoustine and how to enhance them with flavours from all around the world.

My goal with this dish is to demonstrate my culinary heritage, trying to showcase corn as the main ingredient. Corn is much more than a simple food in Latin America and trying to exalt it from my cuisine is the best way to enhance my background. On the other hand I want to show the great potential Australia has in terms of ingredients. So, with this dish I have decided to make one of the traditional Colombian dishes mixed it up with Australian ingredients.

This salad is very popular Colombian salad on the Atlantic coast in and we find it with the name clown salad, alluding its name to the bright colors when we mix all the vegetables.
I want to show to the world Colombian’s cousin, and how we integrate the different texture, flavours, colours and techniques from our rich cultural heritage, presenting a popular salad in a sophisticate way.

Through this dish, I aim to express the elegance and complexity of Australian gourmet cuisine. The combination of duck, plums, and Australian black truffles showcases the country's rich agricultural diversity and culinary potential. The dish pays homage to my grandfather's farm and Australia's ability to produce high-quality, luxury ingredients and its growing reputation in the global gourmet scene.

I see the future of gastronomy as a balance between innovation and heritage. In a world driven by speed, technology, and AI tools, I believe chefs have a responsibility to preserve the knowledge, techniques, and values that shaped our culinary identity. Through visible roots, beef broth, and slowly cooked beef shank, this dish reflects my commitment to respecting ingredients, minimizing waste, and valuing time as an essential ingredient. As a chef, I want to build a future where tradition is not

Through “The story of Cod” I wanted to give a modern twist to a traditional Greek recipe and products that are a part of every table in Greece. The goal was to showcase Greek gastronomic culture through a combination of tradition and modernity. Wanting to highlight the quality of Greek products, I chose to include ingredients found all over Greece. The message I wanted to convey was that complexity can occur through simple things and that we should get inspired by our roots and history.

Influence of different cuisines from where I learned becoming French and Spanish my biggest influence, without leaving aside the importance of ingredients, traditions, and heritage of my country, Ecuador, taking care of local producers and craftsman, always taking full advantage and respect for the product with a touch of modernity, creating an experience of textures and sensations in each perfect bite.

This dish reflects my years discovering the UK’s terroir and the people behind it. Learning from farmers and artisans I met, Graeme’s fishing methods and Monika’s work with Mangalitsa pork showed me real respect for sea and land, while Ben’s plate made from refurbished wood revealed the region's sustainable craft. Working with local producers taught me connection and purpose. This plate honours their work and the journey, from the people to the plate.

This dish reflects my childhood on my grandparents’ farm, where food was always seasonal and nothing was wasted. Sour cherries remind me of jam and chutney we made during cherry season, while cumin recalls the warm soups my grandmother cooked in colder months. Using the whole pigeon honors their philosophy of respect for ingredients, turning memories, tradition, and sustainability into one plate.

It is my homage to one of the most iconic animals of a place which I now call home, the Scottish Highlands. I want to express my identity as a chef in this competition by using local and sustainable ingredients, showing respect for the animal by using everything I could. I wanted to showcase the techniques I have learnt in my short time in this industry, with butchery, pastry work and sauce making at the heart of the dish.

I think that cooking in our future will be simpler in a way. I think the best food is created with us allowing our ingredients to be who they are, by being intentional with each ingredient we choose and how we decide to work with them. I use the term happy food not just when someone feels joy eating, but as the cook who gets to reflect on a time in their life because they got to cook their dish.

Through this dish, I aim to express a harmony of flavors and cultures, celebrating the versatility and richness of plant-based ingredients. The blend of beet root with lactofermented strawberries and blueberries highlights the art of fermentation, an age-old preservation technique. The spices, wine, and agave syrup reflect a fusion of global culinary traditions. Accompanied by the refreshing tomato water and the vibrant foam made of fermented fruits, An example of my culinary identity.

The pairings of squid & date and oyster tofu & bone expresses a yearning for a unified Korea. My father's family was forced from their home north of the 38th parallel to escape invading communist forces during the war. They arrived in the southern port city of Busan as strangers in their own land. This dish aims to harmonize the flavors of our ancestral home in the north of Korea with the textures and ingredients of the south in efforts to to tell our family's story and chart our migration.

Sustainability and deliciousness are my beliefs, because when combined are strong enough to make a change in what today is a broken food chain.
Also Connecting my past and my origins with what I think the future should look like in gastronomy, is what makes me the happiest. Through my dish and my cooking, I want to share a message: “Eating sustainable food, food that’s around you, following seasons and bringing traditions from the past to the present, is going to make the difference for us and for the future generations".

My roots are in emmental. In the past this was a classical dish for special occasions like birthdays and christening. I re-invented this recipe new style incl. Eco-conscious eating. I used products as in the earlier days like Lamm, Safran, cream, dried fruit but in another combination and compilation.

Each ingredient of the earth and each part of an animal must be respected and valued, and this is only possible by putting a lot of love into it. I have sought here to pay tribute to them, putting meat, vegetables and the less noble part on the same footing. By sublimating our cuisine, I think we can honor nature, the producers and let people know that it is possible to consume in a fairer way with less waste.