PH student bags bronze in Young Chef Olympiad
Culinary Arts Management student Yves Gabriel Cabrera Po carried the Philippine flag and was awarded second runner-up at the 11th International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) in India.
The 22-year-old from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, battled it out with other participants from 50 countries in the world’s largest student chef competition hosted by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM).
The grand opening ceremony took place in Goa, with tournament rounds conducted across various Indian cities such as Delhi, Pune, and Bangalore. The finals were held in Kolkata.
The Filipino participant is a student from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management. The mentor for the tournament is Benildean part-time faculty chef dean Gabriel Chan Ng Tio.
For the initial bout, Po whipped up a vegetarian plate and a choux pastry dessert from the given set of ingredients.
Last year, Po, along with fellow Benildean Andriks Dela Cruz, clinched a silver medal in the Filipino Cuisine Team Challenge of the Philippine Culinary Cup.
His rigorous preparation for the global tilt centered on maintaining his discipline and composure during tension-packed situations as well as polishing his cooking skills.
Kamran Taylor from England was crowned champion while Arsen Armenakyan from Armenia was declared first runner-up.
