Kyiv crowns Ukraine’s best young chef!
On 27 February, the final of the Culinary Battle took place, where schoolchildren from six regions of Ukraine competed for the title of the country's best young chef. But this was more than just a cooking competition - it was an opportunity to test the profession, gain hands-on experience and get a taste of the future!
The final featured 10 teams of schoolchildren, mentored by vocational school students, who cooked dishes from the official school nutrition recipe book. Adding to the excitement, participants had the chance to cook independently and impress the jury, including First Lady Olena Zelenska, Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine Felix Baumann, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, and renowned chef Yevhen Klopotenko.
“Judging turned out to be incredibly difficult because I was rooting for each and every participant. “It’s inspiring to see such passion for cooking at such a young age” said Olena Zelenska.
Today's "Culinary Battle" was held in support of three key reforms implemented by the Government of Ukraine and backed by the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project. These include the promotion of healthy and balanced school meals, the development of vocational education and training, which is highly popular in Switzerland—where about three-quarters of young people choose this path, making it a key factor in the country's economic success—and the introduction of career guidance in schools, an equally important initiative," said Felix Baumann, Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
"It is crucial for the younger generation of Ukrainians to shape their future in Ukraine. To achieve this, children must have the opportunity from an early age to explore professions they are interested in and have a talent for,” said Valentyna Poltorak, Manager of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project.
The “Culinary Battle” competition is carried out by the Cult Food NGO with the support of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project. The project is implemented in Ukraine by a consortium including DOCCU NGO and PHZH International Projects in Education, with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.
