Alessandro Salvatore Rapisarda wins the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 in Italy

Following remarkable performances by ten of the most talented young chefs of Italy, Alessandro Salvatore Rapisarda, , chef at Ristorante Café Opera in Recanati, has been announced as the winner of the nation’s S.Pellegrino Young Chef Italian challenge and will advance to the world Grande Finale competition to take place on October 13, 2016 in Milan, Italy. With his Risotto “Marinara”, Alessandro Salvatore Rapisarda finished first among nine other contenders; the semifinalists—selected by ALMA, the world’s leading international educational and training centre for Italian Cuisine- competed for a chance to participate in the global finals and win the prestigious title of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016.

The regional challenge took place on June 20th at Hotel Magna Pars Suites in Milan, where a jury composed of renowned chefs — Andrea Berton (Berton, Milano), Cristina Bowerman (Glass Hostaria, Roma),  Alessandro Negrini e Fabio Pisani (Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, Milano), Davide Oldani (D’O, Cornaredo) e Mauro Uliassi (Uliassi, Senigallia)— tasted the signature dishes prepared by each of the semifinalists and selected Alessandro Salvatore Rapisarda as the winner, based on the criteria of five “Golden Rules”: ingredients, skills, genius, beauty and message.

1. INGREDIENTS: Successfully selecting the best of what the market has to offer with regards to quality, freshness and uniqueness.
2. SKILLS: Successfully handling and transforming raw materials into a finished dish that respects its original essence.
3. GENIUS: Successfully exploring inedited, inspiring, unexpected prospects/outlooks, connected with fine dining culture with a personal and contemporary style, while maintaining a perfect balance of tastes and shapes.
4. BEAUTY: Dish presentation is part of the charm.
5. MESSAGE: Successfully communicating a clear message through work and personal vision.

 “I’m thrilled to represent Italy at the Final,” said chef Alessandro Salvatore Rapisarda. “The Grand Finale in October will be a great opportunity to meet and compete against other young chefs from all over the world”.

The Risotto “Marinara” by Alessandro Salvatore Rapisarda

S.Pellegrino Young Chef is a unique initiative created by the world-famous sparkling water, S.Pellegrino to reaffirm its commitment to the promotion of emerging talents and to enhancing and diffusing fine dining culture throughout the world.

From January to March 2016, thousands of young chefs from across the world submitted their applications together with their signature dish on www.finedininglovers.com for a chance to compete in the 2016 edition of S.Pellegrino Young Chef, the brand’s global talent search to find the best young chef in the world.

S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 will now enter into the last of its four phases. During this final round, each of the 20 finalists from each region of the world will be assigned a “Mentor Chef”, or globally-renowned culinary master, who will advise them on how to improve their signature dishes and help them prepare for the final competition. The Italian mentor will be chef Davide Oldani.

On October 13, 2016 in Milan, a jury of seven celebrated international chefs known as the Seven Sages—composed by David Higgs, Carlo Cracco, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Mauro Colagreco, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack— will determine the winner of S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016, following the five Golden Rules.

Exclusive content related to each local and international phase of the project and to the young chefs and their signature dishes will be published regularly on www.finedininglovers.com, the online magazine for food enthusiasts proudly endorsed by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.

Follow the hashtag #SPYoungChef to never miss an update on the event.