American national Mitch Lienhard, representing the United States, was crowned S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 on October 15 with his signature dish 'roasted duck with spiced orange and yam'.
His mentor was Dominique Crenn, and Lienhard commented in a statement: "It’s really exciting. I feel like I’ve prepared for this moment, but I don’t feel like I’ve prepared for this moment. I’m ecstatic."
In his presentation to the grand jury, he explained his winning dish was a reminder of his home state of Michigan, smelling of burning leaves and maple.
The jury included seven chefs known as the 'Seven Sages', including David Higgs, Carlo Cracco, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Mauro Colagreco, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack.
The evaluation process was based on the criteria of the five 'Golden Rules' of ingredients, skills, genius, beauty and message.
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The Young Chef 2016 award ceremony in Milan was followed by a gala dinner prepared by Massimo Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana of Modena, Italy, ranked first in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list 2016. S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 winner Mark Moriarty created the starter for the night.
This year’s ceremony also included the awarding of two additional prizes. To celebrate the dish that best presented traditional elements in a contemporary way, the Acqua Panna Contemporary Tradition Award was given to Italian Alessandro Salvatore Raspisarda representing Italy.
Additionally, an award voted by the public, the Inspiring Message Award by S.Pellegrino was presented to Daniel Nates from Mexico, representing Latin America.
Gregoire Berger from Atlantis the Palm represented the Africa and Middle East region among the 20 finalists from across the world, with his mentor being Chantel Dartnall from South Africa's Restaurant Mosaic at Orient.
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