The road to the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 Grand Finale is still long, but 10 semi-finalists from each of the 21 regions worldwide are now one step closer. They have been selected from thousands of applications submitted by young chefs from over 90 countries, all of them looking for their chance to be part of S.Pellegrino’s global talent search for the world’s best young chef. Ireland/UK’s 10 selected semi-finalists include three Irish-based chefs: Killian Crowley, Chef de Partie, ‘Aniar Restaurant,’ Galway. Dish: Turbot, kohlrabi, sea purslane; Michael Tweedie, Chef, ‘The Oak Room, Adare Manor’, Adare. Dish: Duncannon Lobster, ravioli of scallop, lobster and basil, lightly spiced lobster bisque; Romuald Bukaty, Chef de Partie,The Clayton Hotel, Dublin Airport, Swords. Dish: Hey John Dory. From June to December 2017 the semi-finalists of each region will compete in local challenges. Chefs Angela Hartnett, Alyn Williams, Phil Howard and Mickael Viljanen will form the UK and Ireland Jury for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Local Competition 2017. For Ireland/UK, the local challenge will be held in Waitrose Cookery School, London, on October 4th. By the end of December the 21 young chefs from around the globe will be announced as the official finalists, who will move on to the Grand Finale, to be held in June 2018. Each finalist will be assigned a ‘Mentor Chef’ (a member of their regional jury), who will provide them with guidance on how to improve their signature dishes and support them in their preparation for the international finals.