Fujio wins S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 award

Japanese chef Yasuhiro Fujio, center, speaks after being named winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 competition in Milan, Italy, on Sunday night, following two days of intense culinary competition. Fujio, representing Japan with his signature dish of "across the sea," was picked from a final trio chosen from 21 of the most talented young chefs in the world. He also won the "Acqua Panna Authenticity Award" for the dish that pays the most respect to ingredients and territory.

In front of a packed audience, his proud mentor Luca Fantin (Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin in Tokyo's Ginza) joined him in the spotlight as he received the award to enthusiastic applause from fellow chefs and food enthusiasts.

“First of all, I want to thank everyone who supported me in this adventure," said Fujio who works at La Cime in Osaka. "I don’t feel yet like the best young chef in the world, especially after meeting all the very talented young chefs from the other countries... so I will work much harder to live up to everybody’s expectations."

The prestigious award was given by the top international chef jury of Dominique Crenn, Margarita Fores, Virgilio Martinez, Ana Ros, Annie Feolde, Brett Graham and Paul Pairet, otherwise known as the Seven Sages.

© Japan Today