What Does It Take to Be the World's Best Young Chef?

This weekend chefs from 20 countries gathered in Milan for the final S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition. And with an international panel of esteemed judges like Jordi Roca, Massimo Bottura, Gaston Acurio and Grant Achatz the desire to showcase talent was high.
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This weekend chefs from 20 countries gathered in Milan for the final S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition. And with an international panel of esteemed judges like Jordi Roca, Massimo Bottura, Gaston Acurio and Grant Achatz the desire to showcase talent was high.

But what does it take in this age of heightened awareness to be the world's best young chef? We spoke to the judges, mentors and contestants about what is needed for chefs of their generation.

From the judges vantage point, there was an emphasis on creativity and hard work. For Bottura, the chef at Modena's Osteria Francescana (ranked #2 on the World's 50 Best List) his advice is to "grow slowly like a tree." Others like Alinea's Achatz cautioned to stay humble and have patience.

The eventual winner, Mark Moriarty of Dublin, agreed with those sentiments. "You have to learn as much as you can from people who know, and then you have to be confident enough to step out and do your own thing," he noted. "And it's just about being clever about the point at which you do that."

For more from the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition and to hear from more judges and contestants about what makes a great young chef, watch the video above

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