Time Out Dubai Young Chef of the Year returns

Time Out Dubai is bringing back its Young Chef of the Year event for a fourth year, designed to find the city’s finest young culinary talent through a live cook-off with readers and an expert panel of judges determining the result.

The Young Chef of the Year event, supported by the Emirates Culinary Guild, will take place at The Park Hyatt Dubai on Tuesday December 16.

Four chefs from across Dubai, all 30 years old or younger, will each cook a four-course festive meal for an expert panel of judges and a collection of Time Out readers. Each dish will be scored against set criteria before the winner is announced on the night.

The judges will include chief judge Uwe Micheel, president of the Emirates Culinary Guild and director of kitchens at Radisson Hotel Dubai Deira Creek; Michael Clinton, executive chef at Park Hyatt Dubai; Russell Impiazzi, culinary director at Galeries Lafayette Gourmet; Silvena Rowe, founder of Omnia; and Mark Dinning, editor of Time Out Dubai. The event will be hosted by local celebrity and host Tom Urquhart.

Invitation letters will be sent to the city’s hotels and restaurants to invite applications throughout November. These applications will be reviewed by the expert panel to determine the final four chefs, who will be announced in late November.

The deadline for the initial applications will close on November 10.

"This event is now in its fourth year and last year’s festive theme proved to be massive success, so we’re delighted to be back once again, complete with all the trimmings,” said Dinning. “With several new openings and the competition for covers around the city more intense than ever, we are anticipating another hotly contested final."

"This event unites Dubai’s best young chefs and is a great showcase of the superb talent in the city’s kitchens,” said Micheel. “We’ve endorsed the event for four years and we’re proud to continue our association.” 

Time Out Dubai Young Chef of the Year is supported by The Emirates Culinary Guild, The Park Hyatt Dubai, Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, Miele, Hotelier Middle East, Caterer Middle East and African + Eastern.

Last year’s winner was Christopher Graham, executive sous chef at Atlantis The Palm. Atlantis The Palm vice president of culinary Sascha Triemer said: “We’re thrilled with his accomplishments and looking forward to seeing even more successes from him in the future. We also would like to congratulate the other finalists for Young Chef as they all put forth excellent efforts.”

Time Out Dubai Young Chef of the Year tickets are on salenow through timeouttickets.com and are priced at AED395. This consumer ticket includes a four-course festive menu cooked by one of the final four chefs, plus unlimited house beverages courtesy of African + Eastern. 

For chef applications please contact Reema.Rahman@itp.com