Feste Group Officially Brings the Young Chef Young Waiter Competition to Hong Kong for its Inaugural Year on October 18th, 2023!
SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2023
CALLING ALL CHEFS AND WAITERS! Feste Group’s newest project in their ever-growing portfolio has arrived in the city after travelling all across the globe. They have officially brought the international culinary competition, Young Chef Young Waiter (YCYW) to Hong Kong for its inaugural year, set to take place this October 18th, 2023 at our venue partner More Good’s kitchen and event space in Chai Wan - venue sponsored by Nordaq.
Open to all chefs and waiters in the city aged 28 and under, the competition acts as an opportunity to shine the spotlight back on Hong Kong’s F&B scene after a difficult past few years. Feste Group aims to place Hong Kong back on the global map as the place to be for passion, creativity, innovation, and community. Four chefs and four waiters will be chosen from open applications to compete at the Hong Kong finals in October, where the winners of each category will be sent to compete at the world finals in Monaco on November 23rd-24th and a chance to win a cash prize of $10,000 (USD).
With a (Michelin) star-studded panel of judges for the Hong Kong Open, the chef and waiter finalists will get the massive opportunity to share their talents with the biggest culinary names in the industry – all in one room. Among the chef judges are Shane Osborn of The Arcane Collective, Richard Ekkebus from The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Caleb Ng of Twins Kitchen, and Yenn Wong of JIA Group. The waiters' judging panel houses Lindsay Jang of Yardbird & Ronin, Kristina Snaith-Lense of The Upper House, and Chili Ma from LPM.
The YCYW competition is not only a way for the finalists to share and learn from one another but is also a way to rally the local F&B community together, to support and encourage each other to continue growing and pushing our industry forward with this new generation of trailblazers. This mission – backed by our ambassadors and hospitality VIPs: Jason Cohen of Nomad Caviar, Jen Balisi (@indulgenteats), Gavin Yeung of Tatler Dining, and Danny Zigal of Synergy – is what makes this competition so unique and never seen before in Hong Kong.
As a part of this desire and intention to create a full community, Feste Group has partnered with More Good to host the YCYW competition at their Chai Wan location, sponsored by Nordaq. Not only will the competition allow the F&B community to gain valuable experiences learning from their peers, mentors, and leaders, but will also allow us to give back to our home community by helping to feed those in need.
Originally established in 1979 in the UK in partnership with UKHospitality and the UK Restaurant Association, YCYW promotes hospitality as a career of choice, a profession, and a vocation. The competition launched internationally in 2022, bringing together the best of the best from all around the globe to the World Finals in Monaco.
Entries for YCYW are NOW OPEN on our website: www.youngchefyoungwaiter.com/hong-kong. Entry is free for all contestants aged 28 and under with a valid HKID/working visa, and will close at midnight on September 18th, 2023! Visit our Instagram at @ycywhongkong!
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS & SPONSORS
YCYW Judges Panel for 2023: Shane Osborn, Richard Ekkebus, Caleb Ng, Yenn Wong, Lindsay Jang, Kristina Snaith-Lense, and Chili Ma
YCYW Ambassadors for 2023: Jason Cohen, Jen Balisi, Gavin Yeung, and Danny Zigal
VENUE PARTNER
VENUE SPONSOR
FESTE GROUP
www.feste-group.com • @feste.group
Feste Group is the leading events company in Hong Kong with over 20 years of experience. Festë, meaning a party or celebration in Albanian, is an homage to our roots whilst this universal experience leaves us open to all the cultural and flavourful influences around us.
We’re dedicated to creating contemporary and sophisticated occasions that match the energy of this vibrant city, spreading joy and love in the best way we know how – through food!
MORE GOOD
www.moregoodhk.com • @moregoodhk
More Good aims to utilise their experience in the food and hospitality industry to nourish those in need with quality ingredients and thoughtful cooking.
They believe that nutrition and taste should be at the heart of every meal that is served out of their professional kitchen in Chai Wan. These are then directly distributed to beneficiaries in Chai Wan and their partner charities to be enjoyed free of charge.
More Good’s vision is to build a community of collaborators who can combine their knowledge and resources in F&B, Education and Philanthropy to bring positive impact.
NORDAQ
The Swedish solution for premium water. Founded in Stockholm in 2005, Nordaq harnesses patented technology to provide premium, sustainable end-to-end water solutions. We are still & sparkling tapped and capped on-site filtered water. Serve us chilled, ambient or hot.
We offer a more profitable, sustainable and tasteful alternative to ordinary bottled water for all businesses where both taste experience and environmental responsibility are at the core.
Find us around the world – from 5 star luxury hotels & resorts, to eco-friendly boutique B&B's, award-winning restaurants, casinos and cruise ships. We are proud of our hospitality partners and their commitment to luxury and the environment.
For any questions or more information, please feel free to contact:
Natalie Fong
Feste Group Marketing Manager