Hong Kong’s Chef Ardy Ferguson has made his mark on the global culinary stage by winning the regional title in the sixth edition of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2024-25. His victory in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Award (Asia) has earned him the opportunity to represent Asia in the global Grand Finale.
This high-stakes event will see him competing with winners from 14 other regions in Milan next October for the coveted title of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award 2024-25. In preparation for the Grand Finale, he will be mentored by former global juror Hong Kong chef Vicky Lau.
“We are very impressed by the calibre and creativity of the new generation of young chefs and amazed with the new ideas they bring to the table as well as the refined skills in execution. Every competition has showcased diverse and interesting flavours as well as personal narratives and provenance of ingredients. We are thrilled to continue this sixth edition of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition as we continue to nurture and discover the rising culinary stars of tomorrow, giving them a platform to grow, experience new opportunities and to tell their stories through food.” – Roberto Caroni, Sanpellegrino APAC Zone Director
This global initiative aims to discover and mentor the most talented young chefs under 30 worldwide, and Ferguson has beat nine other young talented chefs from Maldives, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. Under the guidance of his chef mentor Mathew Kirkley of Belon, Chef Ardy Ferguson of Hong Kong’s Belon restaurant impressed the judges with his dish “Archipelago Celebration” – Nasi Tempung, a celebratory rice dish typically served with meat and vegetables at large gatherings.
Thrilled and exhausted after a gruelling day in the kitchen and anticipating the results, Ferguson shares, “I am so appreciative of the people around me. They put in so much effort to allow me to succeed. My parents flew in from Canada, my friends and co-workers at Belon gave me all their support and love, it’s hard to fail when you have so much support. While I pay homage to my Indonesian roots with this dish, my main Hong Kong element is the duck; the technique I use is very reminiscent of Hong Kong, I scalded the duck, lacquered them in red wine vinegar to give it a nice colour and smoked our duck with sugar cane found down the road to get this sweet smoky refreshing flavour. That’s my take on Hong Kong roast.”
Chef mentor Mathew Kirkley gives full credit to Ferguson on his winning creative dish, “He put a couple of hundred hours into practice and competitions like these give the next generation of chefs the opportunities to connect, exchange and grow.”
The jury is guided by three Golden Rules: strong technical skills, genuine creativity and a personal vision of the world of gastronomy and how it has shaped his/her identity and values in relation to the respective dishes that are presented to the jury, who then awards the highest scores to the winner.
The local jury has diverse representation, made up of award-winning chefs Vicky Cheng of Wing in Hong Kong, Chudaree ‘Tam’ Debhakam of Baan Tepa Culinary Space in Bangkok, Thailand, Alessandro Guardiani of MUNI Alain Ducasse in Kyoto, Japan, David Lai of Neighborhood in Hong Kong, Richie Lin of Mume in Taipei, Taiwan, Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room in Hong Kong and Johanne Siy of Lolla in Singapore.
The S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award: Young Chef Simone Scarparo, from Luna By Clara in Bangkok, Thailand, whose dish ‘Hidden in the Beeswax’, was inspired by a bee from in Koh Samui and utilises discarded beeswax as a cooking method for locally sourced fish states: “My restaurant is really focused on sustainability and zero waste, and this dish has been on the menu since we opened. What makes it special is that in Asia, every ingredient of the dish is easy to find. I also used every part of the fish from the bone to the head and nothing goes to waste.”
Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award: Young Chef Aswin Kumar Karanat Subramanian from Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives, whose dish ‘Shells Break the Shells’ was inspired by a village in Kerala’s backwaters where the historic spice route shaped their rich cultural heritage, states: “It is such an honour to win this here in Hong Kong. I am from Kerala where it’s not culturally supported to become a chef – your parents push you to become a teacher or an engineer instead. So with my dish, I wanted to celebrate Keralan culture, our food, our ingredients and show how beautiful our cooking can be, and how exciting our dishes are. With this win, I hope to become a voice for my community, and to give young chefs from Kerala an example of success as a chef.”
Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award: Young Chef William Yee, from Labyrinth in Singapore, whose dish ‘Dai Pai Dong’ (Malaysian food street), was inspired by his family trips to his local Dai Pai Dong in Kuala Lumpur states: “I grew up in Malaysia, where food and food education is part of our culture. My cooking today aimed to capture the authentic flavours of a Malay street stall but to reinterpret it with Pigeon, my favourite ingredient, alongside local ingredients and flavours. I am delighted to have won this award, following in the footsteps of so many Singapore chefs before me. Thank you to Sanpellegrino for creating such an amazon platform for Young Chefs to be seen and heard.”
