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Gastro Trend Awards 2020: These are Frankfurt's best young talent

19.02.2020 | 09:02 Clock | Culinary
Gastro Trend Awards 2020: These are Frankfurt's best young talent
Gastro Trend Awards 2020: These are Frankfurt's best young talent

What a sumptuous and exceedingly tasty evening it was in the Gesellschaftshaus of the Palmengarten: around 250 guests enjoyed a festive gala menu, glitz and glamour on Monday, 17 February - and celebrated four lucky winners*: Because the evening was all about the Gastro Trend Awards 2020. City Councillor Markus Frank presented the prizes to no less than four young gastronomic talents:

Cooking Talent of the Year is Jakkapong Euler (27), Junior Sous Chef at Restaurant VaiVai, Frankfurt. Somrutai Mekwichiancharoen (28), Demi Chef de Pâtisserie at Restaurant Lafleur, Frankfurt, won the Patisserie Talent of the Year category. Fabian Schmidt (24) from Bristol Bar Frankfurt is the Bart Talent of the Year and Mehlwassersalz, Café & Bakery, Frankfurt, convinced the jury as Best Trend Concept 2019/2020. Congratulations!

After the first competition was held in 2017 under the title "Kochtalent", the Gastro Trend Awards were now held for the third time by the Initiative Gastronomie Frankfurt e. V. (IGF) in cooperation with the communication and event agency WAOH, the Genussakademie Frankfurt and supported by the economic department of the city of Frankfurt am Main. Presenter Selma Üsük from the Hessischer Rundfunk radio station led through the evening.

This year, due to the enormous feedback of the last few years, the concept of the award ceremony had been expanded to include three categories. And that didn't necessarily make it easier for the jury and audience to make a decision. Because each course had its own speciality and was of exquisite quality. From early morning until late at night, the best of the best from Frankfurt's gastronomy and hotel scene cooked to compete. Four chefs and two Pâtissiers competed against each other that evening, each vying for the title of Chef Talent and Patisserie Talent. They prepared a six-course gala menu for the evening's guests in the festively decorated Gesellschaftshaus that left the palates of those in attendance cheering.

Then it was down to the scoring. The audience and the jury decided on the winner on the spot with equal weight of votes. In terms of taste and appearance, they found the course of 27-year-old Jakkapong Euler the most convincing. He created braised black salsify - noble mushrooms, Baharat popcorn and hazelnut foam. A poem! Somrutai Mekwichiancharoen won over with her dessert of coconut, mango, physalis, nougat, sesame and lime.

"The local creative gastronomy scene is an absolutely positive image factor for our city and has gained a unique reputation throughout Germany with the quality standards it has developed itself," said city councillor Markus Frank, who supported the event with the economic department. "It is important to bring these incredibly exciting and modern apprenticeship professions from the restaurant sector much more into focus. Thank you to everyone who put so much passion and effort into making this great project possible."

Markus Frank presented the creative young talents with their prizes after the votes had been counted. Kochtalent winner Jakkapong Euler was happy about two prizes: a culinary trip to Villa Panna in Tuscany, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, as well as further training worth 6,800 euros to become a certified chef (IHK) from the Genussakademie Professional. Somrutai Mekwichiancharoen will be able to take a course with master pastry chef and chocolatier Daniel Rebert. Fabian Schmidt, as bar talent of the year, received a scholarship at the bar school Learning 4 Life worth 1,850 euros. Mehlwassersalz, Café & Bakery, Frankfurt, received as winner Best Trend Concept 2019/2020 a participation in the industry meeting from Leaders Club Germany including a trip to Hamburg. Transgourmet awarded a special prize to the best fish course, the winner Markus Spott (27), Chef de partie, Restaurant Stanley Diamond, Frankfurt, received a trip to the fish market in Hamburg. He served Sautéed Loup de Mer - Passepierre Alge with Sweet Potato and Peperoncini Nage.

Madjid Djamegari, chief executive of the IGF, is more than satisfied with the response to the Gastro-Trend Awards. "Once again, the awards showed how much potential there is in Frankfurt's gastronomy scene. The best young talents presented the high level of their skills with a sophisticated menu on an international level, thus also demonstrating the high quality of training in the establishments."

The expert jury at a glance:

Jury Culinary Talent and Patisserie Talent of the Year

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Robert Mangold, Tigerpalast and Palmengarten gastronomy

Bastian Fiebig, Frankfurt Geht Aus!

Daniel Rebert, French Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier

Georg Krokos, Winner Kochtalent 2018, Chef and Culinary Manager WISAG Event Catering

 

Jury Beard Talent of the Year

Goran Petreski, VAIVAI

Yared Hagos, The Parlour

Brani Hrkic, Gekko Group

Nima Azarhoush, Diageo

 

Newcomer Gastro Concept of the Year

James Ardinast, IMA Clique, IGF

Stefan Weber, Casualfood GmbH

Boris Tomic, Deutscher Fachverlag, Foodservice

Madjid Djamegari, Omakase Four GmbH, IGF

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