As the curtains came down on YCO 2026, the Olympiad stood revealed as far more than a contest. With the theme “Preserving the World’s Global Culinary Heritage through AI,” Enri Cuedari, a young chef from Instituti Kulinari Neranxi in Albania, won the 12thIIHM International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) 2026 among 50 countries that participated in the competition this year.
The Top 10 finalists represented a remarkable cross-section of global culinary talent. Their progression across five Indian cities, namely Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Goa and Hyderabad, reaffirmed the Olympiad’s unique multi-city format and its emphasis on both skill and cultural storytelling.
Cuedari’s path to the world title was shaped early in the competition when he competed in the First Round of YCO 2026 hosted in Delhi. Performing under intense competitive conditions, he emerged as one of the leading chefs of the round, securing his place in the final stages of the Olympiad.
The Delhi leg, one of five Round-One host cities across India, played a crucial role in determining the finalists. Cuedari’s strong showing in the capital set the momentum for his consistent performances across subsequent rounds, culminating in his championship victory in Kolkata.
Dominic Thomas Grundy of Westminster Capital City College in England emerged second while Vidanagamage Rumira Reshan Piyasiri of the Colombo Academy of Hospitality Management in Sri Lanka was the second runner-up, completing a podium that reflected the high standards and global diversity of the competition.
The Plate Trophy was won by Maelyss Helene Parrot of France, one of the world’s finest culinary nations. The Dr. Suborno Bose Challenge Trophy, a heart-warming competition where two countries are paired and cook a dish together, embodying how food has its own language of unity, was won by Ozodbek Odilov of Uzbekistan and Melquirudi Leki-Bere da Cunha of Timor-Leste.
Congratulating the winners, Dr. Suborno Bose, Founder-Chairman of IIHM and Chief Mentor of YCO, said, “I congratulate not just the winner from Albania as well as England and Sri Lanka, but also the winners of the Plate Trophy and Dr Suborno Bose Challenge as well as all other winners. In my opinion, each one who participated is among the world’s best and they are all winners.”
Reflecting on the vision of the Olympiad, Dr. Bose said, “You have travelled from across continents, cultures, climates and cuisines, but you stand together on one stage, united by a single language – food.” Dr Bose described the Olympiad as culinary diplomacy in action, stating, “At its heart, the Young Chef Olympiad is a place where borders dissolve, politics disappear and food builds bridges.”
