HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Young Chef Olympiad 2023 (YCO 2023) organised by International Institute of Hotel Management’s (IIHM) is a unique competitive event being held for the ninth time since its inception in 2015, with around 60 countries participating this time. Held under the auspices of the International Hospitality Council, UK, the competition is organized by IIHM, a part of the Indismart Group which is a large conglomerate that operates the IndiSmart Hotels and offers a wide range of services in the field of Hospitality Management Education Training and Consultancy in India and South East Asia.
IIHM has announced the schedule of YCO 2023, which is as follows:
29th January 2023 – IIHM-YCO Global Congress on Sustainability in Hospitality and Tourism at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi
29th January 2023 – Opening Ceremony at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi
30th January 2023 – Round 1 at IIHM Delhi Campus for Group A and B
31st January 2023 – Round 1 for Groups C- F at IIHM Goa, IIHM Bangalore, IIHM Pune and IIHM Hyderabad Campuses
1st February 2023 – Announcement of Qualifiers for the Grand Finale, Plate Trophy and YCO Dr Suborno Bose Challenge; Final of Sustainability Presentations to Panel; International United World of Chefs at IIHM Kolkata Global Campus
2nd February 2023 – YCO Dr Suborno Bose Challenge competition at IIHM Global Campus Kolkata
3rd February 2023 – Grand Finale at IIHM Global Campus Kolkata
3rd February 2023 – Plate Trophy Finale at IIHM Global Campus Kolkata
4th February 2023 – Awards Nite and Closing Ceremony at Nicco Park Complex, Salt Lake City, Kolkata
After being held in a virtual format for the last two editions, the International Young Chef Olympiad is back in its physical format this time. The 9th YCO is being held between Sunday, 29 January and Saturday, 4 February, 2023 in five cities across India. The Grand Opening Ceremony takes place in Delhi on Sunday, 29 January. The First Round of the competition will take place over the next two days with competitors being split into groups and competing in either Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad or Goa. Following Round 1, all the competitors and mentors will be transported to the cultural city of Kolkata for the next stage of the Olympiad. The leading 10 competitors from Round 1 will compete in the Grand Finale; the next 10 competitors filling the 11th to 20th positions will compete for the Plate Trophy and the remaining competitors will take part in the Dr Suborno Bose Challenge. The 9th International Young Chef Olympiad looks all set to be the mega culinary competition and conclave of the year.
Like each of the previous years, the 9th International IIHM Young Chef Olympiad 2023 will demonstrate a panel of finest Chef Judges comprising of some of the best-known chefs and hospitality stalwarts from all over the globe. The Chairman of the Grand Jury is the legendary Prof. David Foskett, MBE and The Principal Mentor, Padmashri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. The Members of the Grand Jury include Chef Andreas Muller, Committee Chairman, Culinary Education, Worldchefs Culinary Education, Chef Peter Jones, MBE, Chef Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, Chef Chris Galvin- Michelin Starred Chef, Chef Sarah Hartnett, renowned Pâtissier and Chocolatier, Chef Steve Munkley, Chef John Wood – Michelin starred Chef, Chef Enzo Oliveri – the Sicilian Chef, Chef Rahul Akerkar, Chef Mario Perera, Executive Chef of The Dorchester London, Chef Dr Parminder Bali of OCLD, Chef Manjunath Mural – Michelin starred Chef from Singapore, Chef Russell Bateman, Head Chef of The Falcon, Castle Ashby and Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar.
The Grand Finale’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Medallists; the Plate Trophy Winner; the YCO Dr Suborno Bose Challenge Winner and all other Award Winners will be announced at the Closing Awards Ceremony on the evening of 4th February, 2023. While the Gold winner will be awarded a USD 5,000 prize, the Silver winner will bag USD 3,000 and the Bronze winner USD 2,000.
The mascot of YCO has been unveiled too. This time it is the Tiger Chef, to inspire all the young aspirants to do their very best in the competition.
