The history of the Young Talents Escoffier

The The Auguste Escoffier International Culinary Grand Prize competition, organized by the Brotherhood of the Chefs of Nice and the Disciples Escoffier International for professionals since 1960, gave our association the idea in 1970 of creating a competition for young people in hotel management schools.

In 1971, under the patronage of Nice town council, the Alpes Maritimes education authority and theEcole Hôtelière de Nice, 4 candidates competed to produce recipes from the culinary guide on the theme of turbot and fillet of beef.

A few years later, French delegations of the Disciples Escoffier launched regional competitions to encourage young people to discover Auguste Escoffier.

It wasn’t until 2003 that Michel Receveur, President of the Disciples Escoffier France, proposed to the international association’s board of directors that an annual cooking competition be launched for young people under the age of 25, to mark the association’s 50th anniversary.

The Young Talents Escoffier competition was born.

This competition, which will celebrate its 18th edition in 2024 in Paris, has become international and has opened up to the culinary professions to recall the collaboration between Auguste Escoffier and César Ritz.

Every year, 8 teams from all over the world, comprising a chef and a waiter under the age of 25, compete in our international final.

In response to the growing popularity of the competition, regional and national selections are scheduled each year, and 5 zone selections determine the participants in the international final.

It consists of :

2 teams for the France zone

2 teams for the Europe zone

2 teams for the Asia zone

1 team for the Americas zone

1 team for the Africa/Indian Ocean zone

The international final takes place every year in a city, alternating once between France and another country in the world, that is a member of the Disciples Escoffier International Association.

The last finals were held in Barcelona in 2015, Strasbourg in 2016, Paris in 2017, Zurich in 2018 and Bordeaux in 2019.

In 2020, the International Final was due to take place in Shanghai, but was cancelled due to the Covid 19 epidemic.

In 2022, after a 3-year break, it took place in Nice during the world congress of the Escoffier Disciples, who honored their Master on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of his birth.