Amsterdam will host the 5th THE BEST CHEF AWARDS powered by PERLAGE on September 13, 14 and 15th 2021.
The three-day long culinary celebration will include FOOD MEETS SCIENCE, AREA TALKS and a few new activities, ending with the grand AWARDS GALA, as they continue to honor the many talented chefs that create the best food experiences around the world.
This year the announcement of the new 100 candidates from 35 different countries who will compete for the title of THE BEST CHEF together with the chefs of the TOP100 2020 will be full of suspense. Starting from February 25th and for 100 days, THE BEST CHEF will announce one candidate per day (in random order) through its social channels.
The second batch of nominees has been announced. Here they are.
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JULIA KOMP
Julia Komp won her first Michelin star at the age of 27, within just twelve months of taking over as head chef at Schloss Loersfeld in Kerpen. This made Komp, in 2016, the youngest female chef in Germany to helm a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Having recently quit her job, Komp has travelled through 30 countries in fourteen months, on a food cultural exchange of sorts. Known for her mastery over avant-garde cuisine, Komp believes in the harmony between taste and visual details, elevating these to a perfectly balanced sensory dining experience.
She is fond of modern cooking techniques but only uses these when they uplift a dish. Every ingredient on the plate is present for a reason.
“Food has to be fruity, hearty and real. No unnecessary gimmicks,” she declares, adding, “Garlic and passion fruit are my favourite ingredients, but in each dish, one base ingredient has to be the hero. Others play an important but supporting role. Ingredients matter to me and I want the whole journey from sourcing to consumption to be perfect.”
Julia Komp, Cologne, Germany
Lokschuppen, www.lindgens-gastronomie.de
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RICARDO COSTA
Ricardo Costa was born and raised in Aveiro, Portugal, and has been Head Chef at The Yeatman since the Hotel opened in 2010.
Chef Ricardo favours Portuguese gastronomy, in keeping with the Hotel’s philosophy, showcasing the best of what Portugal has to offer, its local products and traditional recipes prepared with contemporary flair and innovative techniques.
Ricardo Costa received his formal education at the School of Hotel and Tourism in Coimbra and gained his extensive experience in Portugal, Madeira, Spain and the UK. His career has taken him through several top restaurants.
He worked as a Chef at El Girasol with Chef Joachim Koerper and later became Sous Chef of the Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa with the Executive Chef Jerónimo Ferreira. He became Head Chef for the first time at the Restaurant Portal, in London, in 2007, and Executive Chef of the Restaurant Largo do Paço, at the Casa da Calçada Hotel in Amarante.
Ricardo Costa, Porto, Portugal
The Yeatman Hotel, www.the-yeatman-hotel.com
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GERT DE MANGELEER
Gert de Mangeleer has seduced the hearts of food lovers in Belgium and all around the world. He did it with his exceptional care for the ingredients (mostly grown by him on his farm in Zedelgem), his perfectionism in cooking and a great passion for his work.
“I combine only natural ingredients with an impeccable sense of flavour, and refine these product profiles to their essences. Furthermore, my cooking visually appears extraordinarily innovative and avant-garde, however, it is actually very simple and natural.”
Gert de Mangeleer, Brussels, Belgium
Bistro LESS, www.l-e-s-s.be
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MIKAEL SVENSSON
Mikael Svensson was born and raised in Skåne, Sweden, on the countryside among farmers and open landscapes.
His culinary career began at the chef school in Kristianstad, and then continued in various positions and apprenticeships in Skåne. This is where he discovered his love for high-quality local products.
His career continued in Oslo, Norway, at Le Canard in the early 2000’s. Then he worked in Europe in several restaurants, fx. in Spanish restaurants Quique Dacosta and Martín Berasategui among others before he returned to Oslo to open his own dream restaurant.
Mikael Svensson, Sweden
Restaurant Kontrast, Oslo, Norway, www.restaurant-kontrast.no
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NICOLA FANETTI
Nicola Fanetti is the co-founder of Brace and also the chef of the restaurant. Despite his young age, Nicola Fanetti is already a well-established name in Copenhagen food circuits.
He grew up in northern Italy, where he already established a great passion for his home country’s culture traditions during childhood.
After graduating, Nicola Fanetti has been found in the kitchens in some of Italy’s and Denmark’s most renowned restaurants, where he has gained profound knowledge of Italian cooking – an experience he actively uses in your daily work at Restaurant Brace, where he merged Italy’s cooking techniques with Nordic food.
Despite his great love for his native country’s food traditions, Nicola Fanetti has always had a weakness for the undiscovered, and he is also a curious soul who constantly strives to search for new boundaries. Artistic freedom and an innovative approach to cooking are integral parts of Nicola Fanetti’s gastronomic identity.
Nicola Fanetti, Italy
Restaurant Brace, Copenhagen, Denmark, www.restaurantbrace.dk
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JASON BANGERTER
As an influential leader in the Canadian culinary scene, Jason’s career spans nationally and internationally, working alongside some of the world’s leading chefs. Inspired by his exceptionally high personal standards, Langdon Hall’s culinary direction excels and continues to be honoured as the only restaurant in Ontario to be awarded the AAA/CAA Five-Diamond rating.
Surrounded by a “sense of place” at Langdon Hall, he instills a philosophy inspired by the gardens, bees, and forest just outside his kitchen.
Jason Bangerter, Ontario, Canada
Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, www.langdonhall.ca
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HAJIME YONEDA
The philosophy of Hajime Yoneda is that all things which are prepared and presented in a predetermined way are meaningless. It is thought which infuses the spirit, the thought they wish to convey, and the sought after level of perfection. Eventually, one may gain understanding.
It is during this fusion of thought and creation that the level of accomplishment increases. That is all there is. This practice, shared by artists, designers, athletes, businesspeople, mathematicians and chef is what marks all those who strive for excellence.
Things don’t have an absolute form. It is ultimately investigating their nature which reveals them and allows them to dazzling shine. As one approaches the region of art, one gets near the truth.
Hajime Yoneda, Osaka, Japan
Hajime Restaurant, www.hajime-artistes.com
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TOMMY MYLLYMÄKI
AIRA is chef Tommy Myllymäki’s restaurant located in the royal park of djurgården in stockholm. its proximity to the water and connection to nature is a key element, which is highlighted by the large scale architecture.
The gastronomic experience at AIRA is focused on nordic produce, using traditional cooking techniques. The culinary team’s goal is to always evolve and create an engaging dining experience by using flavour profiles from all around the world.
Tommy Myllymäki is a Bocuse d’Or silver medalist.
Tommy Myllymäki, Stockholm, Sweden
AIRA, www.aira.se
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MARCO MÜLLER
Even at a young age, Marco Müller roamed his grandfather’s garden and nibbled on freshly harvested vegetables. Born in Babelsberg, the passion for nature has also remained as a top chef.
There is no doubt that Marco Müller is one of the most creative and innovative chefs in Germany. He remains true to his line, but at the same time moves the awareness of sustainability, authenticity and craftsmanship more and more to the forefront.
In March 2020, Marco Müller and his team received the highest accolade of the Michelin Guide: three stars for ‘Rutz’. This makes the restaurant the first in the history of the capital Berlin to receive this award. The Michelin judges: “Marco Müller and his team clearly stand out due to their concise cuisine with contrasts, reductions and close reference to nature.”
The magazine, ‘chefs!’ called Marco Müller the “pioneer of German regionalism”, who does not see regional thinking, acting, and cooking as a limitation, but as a challenge and opportunity.
Marco Müller, Berlin, Germany
Rutz, Berlin, www.rutz-restaurant.de
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FATMATA BINTA
Born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to first generation Sierra Leonean Fulanis of Guinean descent, Binta describes herself as a modern nomadic chef. Like her ancestors she has travelling in her blood and has been fortunate to work with renowned African chefs.
Her passion to share African nomadic cuisine is based on her experiences as a child growing up during the darkest period of Sierra Leone’s history, the civil war. She experienced first hand how food can bring people together and bring down walls.
What she calls creating food for sustenance; learning to create totally new dishes with just a handful of ingredients, sharing and working together, was not only a life saving skill in a war zone, it has actually made her the chef she is today.
Fatmata Binta, Sierra Leone
Fulani Kitchen, Accra, Ghana, www.fulanikitchen.com
On June 6th, THE BEST CHEF begins the voting process, where all the chefs included on last years’ list (plus an anonymous group of independent professionals) and the new 100 candidates will be invited to vote for their peers to name 2021’s TOP100 AWARDS.
In case of interest or/and press on The Best Chef Awards,
please contact Kristian Brask Thomsen at:
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Hungry for more? Read this in-depth US-article on The Best Chef.
