Chef Paul Moran will compete alongside 19 finalists from countries across the globe at the Milan Expo in June. His culinary style will represent Canada in the biggest international young chef competition we’ve seen. 

Up-and-coming chefs have been selected from each country’s regional challenge, and the finalists set to compete for the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 awards in Milan have been announced.

On June 26, 20 chefs representing countries like France, Switzerland, USA, China, Scandinavia, and of course, Canada will face the heat of the kitchen in search of the coveted title.

And who will judge these fine chefs, chosen from some of the top restaurants in the world? A panel of seven international chefs: Gastón Acurio, Yannick Alléno, Massimo Bottura, Margot Janse, Yoshihiro Narisawa, Joan Roca and Grant Achatz. Canada’s Paul Moran has his knife roll ready and is poised to represent our fine Canadian culinary tradition on the world stage in Milan.

“I expect to be challenged to a point that I have not yet experienced,” says Moran. “I also expect to come out on top as the world’s best young chef.” When asked about the aesthetics of his dishes, Moran says, “I always try to create a natural landscape on the plate so the finished dish might look like a fall day with lots of red leaves, shades of soil and a early sunset.” It was his signature dish of smoked and roasted blood pigeon with beet jus, charcoal oil, polenta and salsify that impressed judges Susur Lee, Matty Matheson and Cory Vitiello at the semi-final event in Toronto.

The challenge for the final competition matches each emerging Chef with a designer selected through an international contest hosted by partner Vogue Italia. While each Chef crafts a masterpiece for the taste buds, the fashion designer will interpret the signature dish and create a garment that reflects its culinary flare.

Representing Canada, Chef Paul Moran has been cooking competitively since the age of 14 and has won 8 of the 16 competitions he’s entered. In 2013, Moran was the first recipient of the Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship, and has done time in kitchens in Dubai, Montreal, Banff, and Nice before joining his current team at CMH-K2 Rotor Lodge in Nakusp, British Columbia.

For the Milan finals, Chef Paul Moran has partnered with designer Chris Gelinas for the merging of food and fashion. Born in Canada and based in NYC, Gelinas’ womenswear collections reference a synthesis between classic femininity and conceptual design with the highest regard for textures and colour. Plus he’s done time at major fashion houses like Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Proenza Schouler.

In addition to naming the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015, there will be an audience vote to award the Best Couple Chef-Designer 2015. If you’re lucky enough to be in Milan in June during Expo, the most thrilling international talent search for chefs awaits you. And it’s sure to be a tasty feat.