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 third batch of nominees has been announced. Here they are.
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SUPAKSORN “ICE” JONGSIRI
Born in Bangkok and raised in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chef Supaksorn “Ice” Jongsiri developed his passion for cooking as a young boy.
His grandmother was the one who taught him how to cook traditional style Southern Thai dishes, and it was she who inspired him to pursue a career in the kitchen. His grandmother actually founded the original Baan Ice restaurant in Nonthaburi, which was named after Ice, her oldest grandson.
While Ice was studying in the United States, he worked part time in a Thai restaurant as a line cook. When he returned to Thailand, after finishing his studies, his grandma retired and gave him the restaurant that bore his name.
Today, both Baan Ice restaurants, and Sorn restaurant – which offers a more refined dining experience – specialise in Southern Thai-style cuisine.
Despite never having had any professional training in the culinary arts, Ice built a solid fan base in Thailand, and Sorn, which received a Michelin star within the first year of its opening, is so successful that it’s increasingly challenging for customers to reserve a table.
Supaksorn “Ice” Jongsiri, Thailand
Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand, www.instagram.com/sornfinesouthern
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ERIK & JULIËN VAN LOO
Located on the waterfront near the Rotterdam Euromast, Parkheuvel restaurant has been an icon in the Dutch gastronomy landscape for many years.
Erik van Loo earned his stripes in this two Michelin-starred restaurant, with its refined, modern French cuisine, all served up in a chic, hospitable setting.
Since his son Juliën van Loo joined the business around three years ago, the cuisine has been given a more contemporary twist with elegant presentations and new influences. A bright future seems guaranteed for Parkheuvel.
Chefs Erik & Julien van Loo, The Netherlands
Restaurant Parkheuvel, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, www.parkheuvel.nl
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JUNGHYUN PARK
Ato, stemming from the ancient Korean word for ‘gift,’ is the innovative cuisine that husband and wife team – Chef Junghyun and manager Ellia Park, hope to deliver to the world using New York City as their stage.
Atomix, a follow-up to their well-loved firstborn Atoboy, is a place where guests can really dive deep into Chef Park’s cuisine through a tasting menu that is inspired by Korean traditions and technique.
Junghyun Park, South Korea
Atomix, NYC, USA, www.atomixnyc.com
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JAIME PESAQUE
Born and raised in Peru, Jaime graduated with a Masters in Cooking from the Italian Culinary Institute and continued learning as an apprentice in Michelin-starred Restaurants in Italy and Spain, including El Celler de Can Roca.
Back in Peru, he perfected his own style at Al Grano, where he directed his first kitchen and in 2008 with entrepreneurial spirit and culinary art, Pesaque opted to open Mayta, a restaurant of contemporary Peruvian cuisine completed with his own Pisco Bar.
He creates sophisticated dishes combining local produce with modern culinary techniques and in the process, focuses on tracing the origin and quality of every ingredient. Likewise, Pesaque manages to export and promote Peruvian cuisine abroad to countries such as the United States, Italy and the Netherlands.
Jaime Pesaque, Peru
Mayta Restaurante, Lima, Peru, www.maytalima.com
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PRZEMYSŁAW KLIMA
Chef and co-owner of La Bottigliera 1881, the first restaurant in Krakow rewarded with a Michelin star, and when Przemysław Klima acquired this he became the youngest chef honoured with a Michelin star in Poland.
Przemysław Klima polished his cooking skills at the legendary Noma and at Kadeau, a two-star restaurant in Copenhagen. He worked as a sous-chef at Senses and Atelier-Amaro – two polish restaurants with Michelin stars. His cuisine is mainly inspired by fusion of Nordic and Polish influences and is based completely on local products of highest quality.
Przemysław Klima, Poland
Bottiglieria 188, Krakow, Poland, www.1881.com.pl
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SEBASTIEN LEPINOY
A French chef in Singapore.
“My cuisine reflects my personality, hence it is based on French ingredients and its seasonality”, says Sebastien Lepinoy.
Consistency is of paramount importance for Sebastien, and one of the ways he maintains it is by acquiring ingredients at their highest quality.
“You can find a lot of good quality ingredients, but sourcing for ingredients that are consistently good is much more difficult. Every day, I make the effort to call our suppliers and partners to ensure that we receive the best possible ingredients to serve our guests.”
I’ve spent years fostering relationships with my suppliers. Some of whom I’ve worked with for more than 20 years.”
Sebastien Lepinoy, France
Les Amis Restaurant, Singapore, www.lesamis.com.sg
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ENRIQUE OLVERA
Enrique Olvera opened Pujol in Mexico City in 2000. His cooking is always changing; it draws ideas from everywhere, always reinterpreting and evolving, but with the roots in Mexican ingredients and techniques of all times.
Enrique Olvera studied cooking at the Culinary Institute of America, earning the gold medal from the New York Société Culinaire Philanthropique and the Jacob Rosenthal Leadership Award. Olvera’s first job after graduation brought him to Chicago’s Everest in 1999.
With fine-dining and classical training under his belt, Olvera returned to Mexico City to open Pujol. His goal: to re-imagine traditional, regional Mexican food, and present its styles, flavors, and techniques in a modern fine-dining setting.
And it’s with Pujol that Olvera has arguably made the most strides for Mexican gastronomy, ancient and modern. Using avant-garde techniques to update centuries-tested Mexican recipes.
Enrique Olvera, Mexico
PUJOL, Mexico, Mexico City, www.pujol.com.mx
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Giuseppe Iannotti
A different vision of Mediterranean Cuisine.
Born in 1982, Giuseppe went to a science high school and studied computer engineering at university. In 2007, he dropped out just 5 exams away from his degree to pursue cooking. That same year he opened Krèsios in Castelvenere.
Soon after, he also opened a shop to sell gourmet specialities selected with meticulous care. In 2011, he merged the two businesses under a single roof, a farmhouse owned by his family just outside Telese, in which he now has a gourmet restaurant and a number of elegant rooms, today’s Krèsios.
A chef by attitude who risked becoming an engineer, like a crazy algorithm that’s shaken up the results. Extreme freedom of expression is what drives him, along with cultural contaminations. Like a trawler, he gathers up what the sea of life offers, but then makes his choices, bringing together what instinct whispers loudly in his ear. He captures, studies, elaborates. And thinks, thinks, thinks…
Giuseppe Iannotti, Italy
Kresios, Telese Terme, Italy, www.kresios.com
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CURTIS DUFFY
Curtys Duffy has won numerous accolades. He earned two Michelin stars at Avenues at The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, and his next restaurant, Grace, two Michelin stars in its first year and three Michelin stars the next four years.
He has been awarded Forbes Travel Guide’s Five-Star rating, AAA’s Five-Diamond rating, and the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in 2016.
In the 2016 documentary “For Grace,” filmmakers chronicled the creation of Duffy’s former restaurant and tell the riveting story of how the chef’s turbulent past shaped the person he is today.
Duffy sits on the advisory board of the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, where a $25,000 scholarship in his name is awarded. Duffy’s charitable efforts have included volunteering and serving as chef chair for the Grand Chefs Gala, a fundraiser for the Greater Illinois Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Duffy’s culinary and philanthropic efforts led to his induction into the prestigious Disciples d’Escoffier International.
Curis Duffy, USA
EVER, Chicago, USA, www.ever-restaurant.com
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ULRIK JEPSEN
A Dane in Norway.
With culinary classicism that is constantly renewed and a kitchen that always emphasises quality and taste, above all else, Ulrik Jespen offers a fine dining experience that pays homage to the best Norwegian ingredients from each season, resulting in an impeccable menu, prepared with precision, knowledge and pride.
The Danish chef and co-owner Ulrik Jepsen, has experience from renowned restaurants at home in Denmark, and abroad. Like Waterside Inn in England and Kokkeriet and Søllerød Kro in Denmark.
The desire to travel led Ulrik and his family to Norway, where he has also worked as a chef at Engø Gård on Tjøme. Restaurant À L’aise in Oslo is Ulrik and Mias approach to what a fine dining restaurant can be. Steering clear of the trends and being true to their vision.
Ulrik Jepsen, Denmark
Restaurant À L’aise, Oslo, Norway, www.alaise.no
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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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The diplomacy speaks to a strong network of 600 journalists, bloggers and writers, as well as 5000+ global diners around the world.
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Hungry for more? Read this in-depth US-article on The Best Chef.
