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 I aim to BREAK THE SHELLS of outdated mud crab cooking methods, moving beyond traditional curries.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.

I want to present my Cantonese cuisine background. I have four years experience at various traditional Chinese restaurants. Dim sum and traditional Chinese food are central to my identity. I aim to showcase Chinese cooking and beautiful local dried seadfood by reconstructing classic dishes into fine dining plates. Lastly, I want to convey that culinary boundaries are blurring as techniques are shared globally. We can learn from other cuisines to achieve higher culinary excellence.

This dish began with my love of lamb, and the hope to highlight my Hainanese heritage. Lamb has been a staple of the Hainanese diet (i.e. Dong Shan Lamb) and through this menu, it would be featured alongside ingredients and techniques that link the East with the West.
Taking inspiration from the Spice Route, also known as the Maritime Silk Roads, I have utilised spices such as cumin, fennel, Sze Chuan peppercorns and ginger, all of which were known and used in antiquity and traded in Asia.

Receiving whole deer every fortnight, I noticed that the unused offal was being wasted. So I decided to put them to good use in a dish to raise awareness of food waste. My aim is to promote responsible and sustainable cooking, reflecting my passion for gastronomy and my values of respect for natural resources.

“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

This dish is an homage to my mother and the time we spent in Italy together. I wanted to showcase a variety of ingredients and techniques that reminded me of Italy as well as things that she would enjoy. She is such an important part of my life and when she took me to italy, I feel like it transformed myself as person as well as the things I was passionate about. My dish is completely vegetarian because I believe in a more veg-forward lifestyle which is more sustainable for the environment.

This Dish is my Handwriting, it is all the experiences I collected over the years in every kitchen I worked, starting from what my mother cooked for me when I was a child. My Grandma created many dishes with offals, and that was the inspiration for my ragout. I Love to make some old traditional dishes in a new modern way with a touch of Asian style.

With my dish I wanted to share my roots, the ingredients that I took for it are using daily in my country, and they are not expensive but when you take the time and the correct way to cook them you can create something incredible and delicious. I wanted to proof that our tradition and our Gastronomie has so much to offer and now is the time to bring it in the next level without to forget the Origin of the typical food.

I want this dish to express how Mexican cuisine can evolve without losing its soul. Through corn, achiote, and carefully layered sauces, I tell the story of my journey across different countries and kitchens, learning to adapt while staying connected to my roots. The dish reflects transformation, migration, memory, and the dialogue between tradition and contemporary technique, showing that identity can remain strong even when it changes form.

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.

My name is Klervi. It's a Celtic name from Brittany, Bretagne region of France from my mother. She gave me the taste of the gastronomic products with the fish, the seaweeds and the buckwheat. I found this passion again few years later when I met my Mentor from Japan. We found out that the products from Bretagne and Japan are quite the same. The Colombo, is a memory from my childhood in Guadeloupe, french island in the Caribbean. The sea is the link between this 3 regions and my traveling diary.

‘Quanto sei bella Roma’ is a tribute to my hometown, Rome. The title comes from a famous song about this city that for me is the most beautiful in the world. I left Rome about 10 years ago to grow personally and professionally, but my heart will always belong to it and I am happy to represent it with a dish in such an important competition. It is a traditional recipe that my grandmother used to prepare for me (Coda alla vaccinara) and which I propose in my own way, gastronomically speaking.

This dish was born from my desire to reinterpret one of Aragon’s iconic ingredients and bring it into the world of fine dining. Aragonese trout is at the heart of the dish, reflecting my commitment to the region and its producers. My goal is to show that true culinary luxury lies in celebrating local origins, elevating regional ingredients and giving them the recognition they deserve through technique, respect and creativity.

From head to toe. That's what came to my mind when I decided that my dish should be mainly pork. Pork is a product that shows us that everything can be used and that nothing should be wasted. At the same time, most pork-based preparations require long cooking times and the patience that goes with it. For me, making the most of time and time are the indisputable pillars of any kitchen, and that is where this dish I am presenting has come from.

I chose this dish because it reflects my roots and the story of a cuisine built on resourcefulness and memory. The sausage represents popular tradition, while galantine, born in France and once served at royal tables, brings technique and elegance. As a Madrid native working at El Bohío, I wanted to pay tribute to Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha through a dish full of identity and emotion.

With this dish, I would like to express the concept that the replacement of animal protein with vegetable protein, allows the dish to have an equal taste, thus reducing the environmental impact, being also environmentally friendly. I hope, in this way, to succeed in approaching all food intolerances and pathologies that do not always allow the guest to feel free and involved in the free and varied choice of multiple dishes.

I believe as human being that we are very sick. Imagination and language is what did separated humans from animal.
Today peoples are not conscious of who we really are and the consequence is that we create confusion, trends and bad ego is the protagonist in this planet. Today we try to fix this planet by using one word, sustainability.
who really know the significant of that word and who first went to see inside of the most scary place of this world? I think it is better to start from us...

What makes a species local, indigenous, alien, invasive, naturalized, or imported to a specific ecology ?How do species, including humans, root in places they are not originally from? I reflect about an invasive specie, the blu crab that over-populates the Lagoon. Reminding us about the colonial history that brought corn from the Americas, I considered the meaning of becoming “naturalized” to local ecologies. I complete by using spontaneous plants that reconnects to the tidal of Venice, halophytes.

The dish I have created has two main purposes. First of all, it conveys my identity. Throughout my years living in different Latin American countries I have created a deep immersion in several cultures and cuisines. This dish contains preparations and ingredients of my home country, but has great influence of the cultures I have gratefully come to call my own. Lastly I decided to represent the stingray. A beautiful and rich protein of humble origins that deserves a spotlight in high gastronomy.

The chinampas is an efficient and sustainable agricultural system, it is an articulated set of artificial floating islands that were built since pre-Hispanic times. Through this dish, which has been inspired by this ecosystem, using only ingredients that are grown or can be found in this place, applying techniques and preparations of Mexican gastronomy, I seek to highlight the importance of chinampas, the organic products that are grown there and also recognize the hard work of the producer.

I want to express the connection between memory, place, and transformation. The corn harvest brought families together around the table and, inspired by my grandmother's recipes, I celebrate an ingredient that symbolizes abundance, tradition and a sense of belonging. I use both corn and chicken in their entirety, embracing a whole-ingredient approach. I want to show that gastronomy can honor its roots while evolving through creativity, technique and responsibility.

I want to memorize my first trip to Guangxi. A mountainous region with rich cultural resources.Bamboo there is a important materiel.I went to several villages deep in mountains.The weather makes moss grows everywhere.People there are poor and still using self-made charcoals for cooking and stay warm, so the smell of smoke hung in the air.But what touched me is the kindness of them.
This is a vegetarian dish ,the flavor of my dish based on a famous noodle in Guangxi, name is Old Friend noodle, and I use some fermented ingredients which are also common in Guangxi cuisine.
 

Inspired by the first book of traditional Chinese medicine, "Huangdi Neijing," which states that food is food when eaten on an empty stomach, but medicine when consumed by patients, I have chosen medicinal herbs such as Poria cocos, japonica rice, Gastrodia elata, and Phyllanthus emblica as the main ingredients, complemented by traditional handcrafted tea. This has led to the creation of a pure vegetarian dish, embodying the concept of food and medicine sharing the same origin.

Nature is almighty, and ecological systems require balance, this symbiosis the only way to survive, so I had the inspiration to use “Coexistence” as my theme.

This inspiration stemmed from the traditional Chinese character “Xian” (meaning freshness, which is made up of the Chinese character for “fish” and the Chinese character for “lamb” ).
I use a commonly found but not ordinary big head carp fish head from the freezing regions of the Northeast. Due to the cold weather, the big head carp is fatty and has a wonderful texture. The fish head is the best part and rich in collagen, it is the soul of the produce. This I combined with the delicacy of the grasslands, the tender lamb, and the traditional fried snack “You Dun Zi”; onion crisp, caviar, asparagus lettuce, and powdered dill adds texture and flavor.
Where it matters, ingredients that reflect their geographical and natural habitat are used and through my understanding, creativity, innovation and using each ingredients to its fullest.

 

In the modern world people get exposed to a huge number of ideas and opinions every day. The purpose of my dish is not to educate a person or try to put a new idea in his head, but simply bring joy and awaken positive emotions. I want to try and give joy to people by creating delicious food from good quality ingredients. If I can make someone feel good with my dish, I can contribute to making the world a better place and that is the most important for me. Delicious food is inspiring in itself.

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.

Knowledge makes you respect the raw materials, if you know how we produce food we also learn to treat it with respect. Knowledge is power to respect different people, countries and finally the globe.

Australia’s landscape carries one of the world’s oldest and richest histories of ingredients, place, and people. Drawing from this land is both a privilege and a responsibility. This dish reflects my determination to champion the beauty of lesser-known native botanicals and elevate them globally as luxury produce. The vessel to help me achieve this is connected to the coastline of my regional West Aust roots, shaped by a coastline of pristine shellfish

Growing up in New Zealand shaped my respect for seafood and the ocean. Inspired by the cultural significance of pāua and the values of stewardship that underpin New Zealand's coastal identity, this dish celebrates lobster and abalone in their fullest expression. Through classical technique and whole-animal utilisation, from sauce Américaine made from the shells to the pāua liver xo. I want to honour both the ingredient and the place that shaped me.

Nalli Nihari is a hearty poor man's dish from Lucknow, India, wherein lamb shanks are slow cooked overnight served with roti bread. This is one of those rare dishes that traveled from the homes of commoners to the royal palaces. Taking this idea, I have presented the dish as a lamb leg wellington, showcasing the journey of the dish similar to my own. Keeping technique and flavour at forefront, I believe this is who I am. The future of cuisine is how tastefully one can embrace their heritage.

By presenting this dish i would like to convince people that we chefs are not only people that stand for many hours in front of the frying pan. We can all agree that we identify ourselves as artists. Plates for us are like a canvas for a painter. We create and express ourselves on it. Just like Leonardo da Vinci did and others. It’s not only our work but a big passion for life that we want to share with people in the restaurants like artists share their creations in galleries. WE ARE ARTISTS!

It’s an honour to present to you a dish that is deeply inspired by the culinary heritage of Malta — one that bridges tradition and innovation, land and sea, history and identity. This is my dish:Glazed Rabbit loin served with a Maltese barley koji-marinated rabbit leg, carrot purée, and a rich sauce of rabbit bones, local liquor, and prawn head bisque. On the side, a rabbit offal pie inspired by pastizzi, and a consommé that evokes the soul of the Maltese prawn.

In a world of abundance, we need to look at a more nursing future. Sourcing ingredients has become paralysing for our planet. Due to over-fishing and over breeding, there is a big impact on the bee lives that provide us reproduction, which is necessary for our lives. In my dish, I combined sustainable farmed sea bass, free range pork and ecofriendly bee products from our little country. The dish shows how important sustainability is and also how the elements of nature are and can be connected.

The message I'm trying to express through my dish is that although its been said that crabs and lobsters are becoming more unsustainable due to fishing nets. I believe we can change this through designated areas of non-fishing , which will ensure crabs and lobsters become more sustainable. Crabs have been around for millions of years and its only know, due to their popularity and over fishing that we face declining numbers.

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.

The inspiration comes from my experience in Tokyo and the memory of my childhood. I’d like to present a wonderful marriage between the ingredients from mountain and ocean, and I believe humble ingredients could also be the star. I love both French cuisine and Chinese cuisine and I believe all different cuisines have something in common. So I'd like to present some Chinese poaching technique, and the way we make chicken broth. It would be a French contemporary with a Chinese twist.

This dish is a walk through the garden — every part of the bird used, every element drawn from the land around it. It is rooted in years spent at The Chef's Garden in Ohio, where I learned that nothing is waste and everything has flavor. The whole bird mirrors the whole plant: nothing discarded, everything transformed. I want the person eating this dish to feel the same wonder I felt walking those rows — that food, at its best, is an act of attention.

I have always been inspired by the way my family in Greece and Italy embrace food, especially coastal fare. In my professional career I have learned so much more about traditional French and Japanese technique, and through this dish, I have found an all encompassing way to convey my passion for food.

I would like to show my background in culinary arts by showcasing what I’ve learned and experienced in my time in this industry. Showcasing new American cuisine that celebrates all cultures and techniques.

When someone asks me, what my favorite thing to cook is, I always have to think. In my career I've worked at all stations in the kitchen and therefore I really like to do all kinds of food. I also wanted my dish to be challenge for me and also to be able to show most of my skills. That's why I created this dish. I can show different cooking methods of the parts of the pigeon, and my skills with doughs and vegetables. The whole dish was inspired by thinking about a pigeon in the forest.

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.

The first message this dish gets across is a bit of a surprise to most people who taste it as even a simple lettuce plant, if well prepared, can become the tastiest dish on the menu. historically it has no specification, but another important message this dish gets across is definitely that of using all parts of a product, from a to z, from the cooking liquid that becomes a vinaigrette to the daikon waste that becomes kimchi.