International food magazine FOUR has named Bertrand Grébaut, Dave Pynt, Ignacio Mattos and Mitsuharu Tsumara as the four regional winners of its Rising Stars chef competition for 2015.
The competition seeks to find the best chefs under 35 years old from around the world. Four regional panels, comprising of some of the most influential food writers and experts in the world, picked winners for Europe, Asia and Australia, North America and Latin America. Each of the four will compete against each other to be crowned FOUR Rising Star this September.
FOUR’s co-founder Antioco Piras said that the competition sought to discover, promote and celebrate the talent of young chefs the world over. “Rising Stars is our way of identifying the chefs who we believe are the strongest talents in a highly-talented world; who have already made a great impact where they are cooking, and who we feel are going to go on to accomplish even greater things internationally. These four regional winners are phenomenal chefs who exemplify dedication to their craft.”
Europe’s winner, Frenchman Bertrand Grebaut, has been head chef at the Parisian ‘bijou bistro’ Septime since September 2011. Bertrand cultivates a dynamic cooking style, inspired by his travels through Asia, and has served under Alain Passard at L’Arpege, helping it earn its first Michelin star in 2006.
Aussie chef Dave Pynt, winner of the Asia and Australia region, is well known for his love of the barbecue, bringing a fiery flair to his work as Head Chef at Singaporean restaurant Burnt Ends with its open-kitchen and massive wood-burning oven. Dave was inspired by grilling genius Victor Arguinzoniz at Spain’s Assedor Extebarri, and before that worked with Tetsuya Wakuda and at Noma in Copenhagen.
Ignacio Mattos, Uruguayan-born but working in New York, was named as winner for North America thanks to his work at SoHo’s Estela, which he established with Thomas Carter in 2013 and is known for its uncomplicated but flavourful meals. Ignacio previously worked with Argentine legend Francis Mallmann and Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, and was previously head chef at fellow NYC restaurant Il Buco.
Finally, Latin American winner Mitsuharu Tsumura gives Japanese cuisine a Peruvian twist at Maido in Lima, which combines sushi service elements with a more traditional restaurant experience. Widely considered as one of the world’s eminent ambassadors for Nikkei cuisine, Mitsuharu worked in Osaka at Seto Sushi before returning home to cook at Lima’s Sheraton Hotel. He opened Maido at the age of 28 in 2009.
Last year’s FOUR Rising Star winner was Agata Felluga, one of Italy’s most celebrated female chefs, who has passed through some of the best kitchens in her home country and France. Today, she heads up Jour de Fête in Strasbourg, where she focuses on infusing simple ingredients with her creativity and technical prowess.
Judges:
- Head judge for FOUR Rising Stars 2015 is Andrea Petrini, Chairman of World’s 50 Best, creative director of Cook it Raw and co-director of the food festival Paris des Chefs. He is also head judge of the European region.
- Melinda Joe is head judge of the Asia and Australia region, a Tokyo based food, drinks and travel writer who contributes to FOUR, Wall Street Journal and the Japan Times.
- Jay Cheshes is the head judge for North America and is a trained chef turned food writer for Wall Street Journal and Time Out New York.
- Brazilian born Alexandra Forbes is the Latin America head judge, she writes for World’s 50 Best and is the food editor of GQ Brazil.
By Ryan Burrows
