Chef Sude Hancher of Cornus Restaurant, London has reached the UK final of the highly prestigious S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition.
The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition is a global initiative that strives to discover and support the most inspiring young chefs around the world.
The bi-annual competition and academy aims to push the boundaries of gastronomy and has the support of some of the most celebrated figures in the industry. Judges of the UK competition this year include Adam Smith, Lorna McNee, Nokx Majozi and Santiago Lastra.
Being selected to compete at the UK final, taking place at Le Cordon Bleu in London on 25th September, means that Sude joins a shortlist of nine of the UK’s most promising chefs under 30. Sude impressed an international judging panel, rising to the top of thousands of applications from all over the world who were inspired to enter the competition to share their vision and connect with the most influential people in the gastronomic world.
Currently working as Chef de Partie at Cornus in London, Sude’s first love of cooking came from her mother who worked as a chef in Bulgaria. Sude used to watch her mother cooking when she was little and intrigued by what was happening. This curiosity came to a head when her mother was invited to be on Adiztadiyla, a popular tv show in Bulgaria. On the show, her and her mother made chocolate cake and it was from this moment that Sude knew cooking was the career for her.
Since then, Sude joined Frenchie in 2020, where she learned more about French cuisine. All whilst studying a Professional Chef Diploma at Westminster Kingsway. Currently working at Cornus Restaurant, the dream for Sude is to eventually move to Paris is use her pastry skills to some of the world’s harshest critics, Parisians!
Speaking about her nomination Sude added: “My greatest hero in my mum life is my mother and to be recognised as doing well in her chosen field is the greatest tribute I can think of. I hope she’s proud of me.”
Coming from a family of chefs it was natural for me to become one myself but to be recognised for my work at 19 is such a proud moment for me. I hope I win!”
At the UK final in September, nine finalists will present their signature dishes to the renowned jury panel who will judge the candidates’ signature dishes and select the winners of the four awards.
The winner of the prestigious S.Pellegrino Young Chef Award will then go on to represent the United Kingdom at the global Grand Finale in Milan next year. Throughout the following months, each global finalist will be accompanied by Mentor Chefs, who will provide them with guidance on how to improve their signature dishes and support them in their preparation for the international finals.
To discover the full list of candidates and know more about the initiative please visit: https://www.sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com/
