Osvaldo Sejas wins the Catalan Young Chef Award with his “Tribut als Pèsols Ofegats”

• As the winner of the contest, he will be the representative of Catalonia at the European Young Chef Award, to be held in France in November.
• Paolo Casagrande, head chef of the Lasarte restaurant in Barcelona with three Michelin stars, chaired the jury for the competition held at the EUHT StPOL facilities.

Sant Pol School of Hospitality & Culinary Management (EUHT StPOL) has hosted today the 35th edition of the Catalan Young Chef Award, one of the most experienced cooking competitions in our country.

Five finalists from five catering and gastronomy schools in Catalonia have prepared a dish that featured langoustine and scallop as the star ingredients. And later, they defended him before the jury chaired by chef Paolo Casagrande, head chef and executive chef of the Lasarte restaurant, which has three Michelin stars and three Repsol Suns.

The jury also included Mrs. Gemma Moliner, from the Prodeca Gastronomy Area (Catalan Food Promoter. Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat of Catalonia); Diane Dodd, director of IGCAT (Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism); Ramon Serra, President of the Board of Directors of the EUHT StPOL; Josep Vilella, gourmet and member of ‘5 a mesa’ from La Vanguardia; Jaume Cot, on behalf of the professional gastronomy publisher Vilbo; and Nathalie Bell, representing Seafood from Scotland, sponsor of the event.

The jury has valued aspects such as technique and skill, the creativity and originality of the proposal, the flavors, the presentation and the history and story of the dish, among others.

‘Tribut als Pésols Ofegats’, the dish with the highest score

The awards have been distributed in 4 categories. After deliberation by the jury, “Tribute to the drowned peas”, presented by Osvaldo Sejas, a student at the ESH Vedruna de Gràcia, was the dish with the highest overall score and as such, received the Absolute Prize in the Youth Cooking Contest of Catalonia, awarded by the EUHT StPOL and presented by the president of the jury, chef Paolo Casagrande.

As the winner of the Contest, Osvaldo Sejas will represent Catalonia in the European Young Chef Award (EYCA) that will take place next November in France. The European Young Chef Award brings together the winners of regional competitions from across Europe and aims to promote innovations in traditional cooking, highlight sustainable food cultures and create future chef ambassadors for regions and local food products.

The participation of the representative of Catalonia in the European Young Chef Award (EYCA) is promoted by PRODECA and the Catalan Tourism Agency, as members of the platform of the European Regions of Gastronomy (European Regions of Gastronomy).

In addition, the winner of the contest has also taken a trip to Scotland to learn first-hand about fishing techniques and processes thanks to Seafood from Scotland, sponsor of this year’s event that has supplied the raw material.

The Catalan Young Chef Award is part of the University Gastronomy Day, which this year has celebrated its 42nd edition. The day was completed with a masterclass by chef Paolo Casagrande, in the EUHT StPOL kitchen amphitheater.