The finalists for the Young Chef Young Waiter UK England competition have been announced for 2022. The sixteen England-based finalists (including 3 returning finalists from 2021) were chosen by our YCYW England Head Chef Judge, Adam Handling and YCYW England Head Waiter Judge, Simon King alongside other leading figures in the hospitality industry – Clare Smyth MBE, Jason Atherton, Emily Roux, Simon Helier, Andy Downton, Johanna Wimmer, Anne Lomas & Craig Hancox.
- The live final will be held over two daysat the University College of Birmingham andthe awards will take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Birmingham, 18 – 19July.
- The winners will go on to compete in the spectacular World YCYW Final in Monaco, 15 – 16 November 2022.
- World Young Chef Young Waiter is supported by Arla Pro, Thermomix, Dojo, NEC Group, The Wine Guild, The London Essence Co, Aqua Libra and The Cookaway
- The event is supporting The Springboard Charity’s ‘FutureChef’ and the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts ‘Adopt a School’.
The 2022 Finalists
The finalists each submitted a video entry and questionnaire which was assessed anonymously by our panel of judges.
Young Chef Young Waiter England 2022, Finalists:
| BEST YOUNG CHEF Kenny Markham – The Four Pears Pub & Restaurant Miltan Masha – The Monarch Theatre Billy Furness – The Orgia, Falmouth Josh Singer – Scotts Shane Whitaker – Assiette Catering Jason Ramplin – Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa | BEST YOUNG WAITER Giacomo Monti – The Ritz Hotel Elisa Doisneau – Kitchen Table Harry Burgess – Midsummer House, Cambridge Dylan Ramsey – The Ivy, Birmingham Daniel Bennett – St. JOHN Restaurant Miranda Noime – The Vineyard Hotel & Spa, Newbury Laetitia Decure – The Dorchester Alex Churcher-Steele – Da Terra, Bethnal Green |
World Young Chef Young Waiter Competition
- World YCYW was launched in 2022 to extend the competition around the globe
- We have recently launched the YCYW competition in the Cayman Islands, Ireland, USA, Macao (applications now closed). With India & Wales coming soon.
- The winners from each country will gather in November for the World Young Chef Young Waiter final in Monaco at a spectacular one-day event.
- Our eight chef and eight waiter finalists will design a winning menu and serve their national dishes to an internationally acclaimed judging panel headed up by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton.
- There will be an Olympic style celebration in the evening at The Maybourne Riviera to crown the winning Chef and Waiter, with Prince Albert of Monaco in attendance.
The Judges Young Chef Young Waiter England:
The digital entries will be judged by leading figures from the hospitality industry. Our inspirational judging panel includes head chef judge Adam Handling and head waiter judge Simon King. They will be supported by judges including Jason Atherton, Clare Smyth MBE, Theo Randall, Claude Bosi, Emily Roux, Jeff Galvin, Andy Downton, Johanna Wimmer and other big names in hospitality. Craig Hancox, General Manager and Simon Hellier, Executive Head Chef for Amadeus at the ICC Birmingham join the judging panel for 2022. They will be hosting the Young Chef Young Waiter Award ceremony at the ICC Birmingham in July.
World Young Chef Young Waiter Chairman Robert Walton MBE said: “As the Chairman of this event since 2006, I’m delighted that the first ever Young Chef Young Waiter England Competition will take place this July. After the last two challenging years, it is wonderful to see so many entrants from leading hospitality venues around England. I am very much looking forward to the World Final in November, bringing together all our finalists from around the globe. It will be a star-studded affair, in a prestigious location, to crown the first ever World Young Chef and Young Waiter.”
World Young Chef Young Waiter Head Chef Judge Adam Handling said: “With sustainability at the heart of my ethos, it really is about investing in the future generation and making the future of this industry an exciting place to be. It is a real honour to be involved in a young person’s competition, to help mentor them, progress them and give them a spotlight to shine. Having competed in this competition many years ago and seeing the doors that it opens for its competitors, I would definitely encourage the young talent of this industry to get involved. The competitors this year have been phenomenal and there are some incredibly talented chefs competing. I can’t wait to see what they do at the final.”
World Young Chef Young Waiter Head Waiter Judge Simon King said: “As a previous winner twenty plus years ago, I know how valuable and rewarding the YCYW competition can be as it gave me an incredible platform to build my career and network. There is no better time to showcase the fantastic young talent that this fine profession has to offer and to be able to do it on the world stage is just incredible. I’m thrilled to remain part of this great competition cannot wait for the first YCYW England Competition, followed by the World Finals in November.”
World Young Chef Young Waiter Managing Director Sean Valentine FIH said: “We have come such a long way in such a short space of time by developing a UK competition into the global Olympics of hospitality. The first ever Young Chef Young Waiter England Competition places our sector at the heart of education, training and development for young professionals. The creation of the World YCYW global community will be at the heart of this competition providing a platform for shared ideas, creativity and cross fertilisation of talent.”
13th July 2022
