Kamran Taylor, a young student chef from England, has been crowned champion at the 11th edition of the world’s largest competition for student chefs, the International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO), which featured participants from 50 countries. Armenia’s Arsen Armenakyan secured the Silver, while Yves Gabriel Cabrera Po from the Philippines won the Bronze Trophy.
YCO 2025 was held under the aegis of the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC) London. The Plate Trophy, contested by teams ranked between 11 and 20 after the first round, was proudly lifted by South Korea’s Shi-Hyun An. Aliakbar Mustafa Rampurawala from IIHM Bangalore made the host country proud by winning the prestigious Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge Prize, along with UAE’s Jasmin Ali Maher Lutfi Jarrar. This unique category featured 28 teams, which were not placed in either the Grand Finale or the Plate rounds. They were divided into 14 pairs, representing two countries each, in a spirit of culinary collaboration.
The winners were announced in Kolkata at the Grand Finale of YCO 2025, contested by the top ten student chefs who were selected after the first two rounds of intense competition held across five cities – Goa, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad – showcasing the best culinary talents from around the world.
Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of the Young Chef Olympiad, said, “The world of culinary arts is united under the grand Kolkata sky. Culinary diplomacy means this. In a united world of young chefs, it’s the best way to make the world happy and sustainable through food. Only in India can you achieve something like this.”
Prof David Foskett OBE, Chairman of the Jury for YCO said, “YCO is a grand celebration of friendship, unity and passion. It depicts the unifying power of food in a world of conflict. YCO can happen only in India, under the visionary leadership of Dr Bose.
Padmashri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor remarked, “YCO is surely about compassion. But when you do it for 11 years, you multiply the compassion. YCO is also about competition with collaboration. Dr Bose is not only a lovable madman with a golden jacket, but he is a man of steel.”
On a magical night in Kolkata, everyone emerged as winners, as the united world of young chefs celebrated their roles as ambassadors of culinary diplomacy, dancing into the night amidst a swirl of colours and cultures.
