Pau Gabarró is the 22 years old chef who will play at home this year, representing Catalonia at the Young Chef Award 2017 next 6 November 2017 in Sant Pol de Mar. Two weeks left to the competition which will see the young skilled chefs coming from the European Regions of Gastronomy compete inside the kitchens of the University College for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, EUHT StPOL. Pau Gabarró is the young chef who won the preliminary Catalonia Young Chef Award in April 2017.
Pau Gabarró’s passion for cuisine started when he finished secondary school and worked briefly in the kitchen of a small local restaurant. With his passion for gastronomy awakened he is now in the final year of Culinary Arts School. He told us he considers himself a young chef in a learning process, he loves to learn new techniques and to innovate on traditional recipes using local products. In the future he would like to share his passion for cooking with his love for travelling in order to grow personally and as a chef.
The chefs will be required to innovate on a traditional recipe, to promote traditional knowledge through the development of new techniques, to keep local gastronomic culture alive in dishes with a contemporary added-value. Local products will be the centre of the competition, which aims to re-think food as a powerful tool able to underline regional peculiarities.
From South Aegean, European Region of Gastronomy 2019 the Greek celebrity chef Argiro Barbarigou will head the international jury panel. Moreover, the winner of the last year’s edition, Stamatios Misomikes, will be the protagonist of a master class for both the finalists and the students of the EUHT StPOL. The Young Chef Award will be the occasion for contestants also to be involved in a round table with Argiro Barbarigou.
The competition will provide the opportunity to discuss focus themes such as local food cultures as important source of innovation, sustainable food systems as development tool for the future and, the added value of local food products.
About the European Regions of Gastronomy
The European Region of Gastronomy Platform and Award aim to contribute to better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability, and stimulating gastronomic innovation. It provides cross-marketing opportunities and longer-term benefits. Being part of the European Region of Gastronomy Platform and bidding for the award brings a range of stakeholders together to confront development challenges in the region.
About IGCAT
IGCAT is a non-profit organisation established in 2012 working in the fields of gastronomy, culture, arts and tourism. Through its worldwide network of experts, IGCAT aims to empower local communities by guiding, facilitating, and supporting local leaders in cities, regions and cultural projects to understand the potential of their distinct food, culture, arts and sustainable tourism assets.
IGCAT is furthermore the official secretariat for the Region of Gastronomy Platform and provides the European Region of Gastronomy Award, the European Young Chef Award and the Innovative Food Souvenir Award.