The announcement was made by Mateo Urru, manager of Latin America and the Caribbean for San Pellegrino at the Maito restaurant in the company of Gloria De León, Minister of Tourism, Fernando Motta, vice manager of Felipe Motta, chef Mario Castrellón, chef Gabriela Sarmiento, winner of the Young Chef 2025 regional competition and representatives of Promtur.
“We are super happy to announce that Panama, for the first time in history, is going to host the Latin American and Caribbean regional final of the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy,” Urru told the audience made up of chefs, restaurateurs and journalists. The competition will take place from September 27 to 30 this year.
Urru, who has lived in Panama for about three years, highlights that he has seen how in that period and, before, “Panama has transformed incredibly.”
“Today it is recognized as a gastronomic center, not only in Central America, but at a regional level in Latin America and now it is ready to host events of this size where some 100 personalities from the industry come together. We have a Panamanian winner, Gabriela Sarmiento, in the last edition. We think it is a perfect continuation of history and that Panama is promoted not only with the competition, but in a week of events,” he says.
The leader of this project will be Daniela Rico, Business Development Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, part of the San Pellegrino team.
“The mission of the Young Chef Academy is to support the future of gastronomy and we think that a very nice way to do it is by supporting the new generation. Our mission is to support the future of gastronomy with the next generation of culinary talents,” he highlights.
It is a global project in which 156 countries participate. In seven editions of the competition, 2,241 young chefs have participated, supported by 875 senior chefs. These figures do not include all the young people who apply for the competition.
And, as Urru states, it is not just a competition, “obviously competition is the heart of the project, but over the years, it has evolved into an educational project. The idea is to give tools to young chefs to open their restaurant tomorrow, to know how to do the finances of the restaurants, to know how to communicate their story. It has become an education project to build and support young chefs and also give them a voice,” he says.
The first edition of the Young Chef Academy was held in 2015 and is held every two years. “In year one, we divide the world into 15 regions and hold a final in each region. In year two, the winners of each local edition compete in Milan in the global final,” explains Urru.
The competition is currently in the application stage. Any chef with at least 1 year of experience, under 30 years of age can apply with their recipe telling their story, until June 8. Afterwards, the selection will be made by Alma, a prestigious cooking school in Italy, supported by some local experts in each region. They are going to determine who the 15 finalists are.
Latin America has become the most important region, with the highest number of applications. In 2024 there were more than a thousand applications.
Those selected will have a mentoring period to prepare for their regional final, and the winner of this will travel to Milan for the grand final.
By the end of this month the qualifying jury for this regional competition will be selected and by the end of June the finalists who will travel to Panama in September for the competition that will be held in the kitchens of the Inter-American University of Panama will be defined.
“There are 15 regions, so there are only 15 cities in the world where these competitions are held. Latin America has 25% of the total applications worldwide, so this event is very important, not only to determine who the winner is but to create a community. It is also an incredible visibility tool for Panama,” he says.
“San Pellegrino organizes, but it is Panama who receives,” Urru highlights. The country will have in its hands to host around 100 regional guests, including chefs, journalists, creators, influencers and industry personalities, for a week of events. There are 5 days dedicated to talent, debate, culture and the future of gastronomy,” he highlights.
There will be debates open to the public, the recording of a podcast called Smart Conversations in which chefs will be interviewed, it will be a forum on the future of gastronomy in Panama.
In addition, guests “will have the opportunity to visit restaurants, local markets, local realities inside and outside the city, this is a work in progress right now, but it is important that not only those who visit us see the competition, but also learn more about Panama.
The awards ceremony, which will be attended by about 200 people, will be held in an iconic place in the city. “It is going to be a gastronomy festival and obviously we are going to announce the awards and the winner from Latin America and the Caribbean,” Urru announces.
In collaboration with Promtur, journalists, writers and influencers will have two additional days to get to know Panama and discover its flavors, its culture, its corners and its biodiversity.
“As a Panamanian, it is a great pride that our small country has been chosen to hold this event. I think it is a unique opportunity to show Panama, to show the gastronomy of Panama. It is a great pride,” said Fernando Motta. “I want to thank everyone who has supported this event to take place in Panama, the truth is that coordinating it was a job that has been going on for several months and getting all the pieces to fit together was not easy,” he added.
“This is a topic that has taken 25 years, it is not two, it is not three, it is not five, things are not done from morning to night, things are done with experiences, over the years and little by little we believe in a Panama country brand project with its gastronomy,” said chef Mario Castrellón who has participated as a mentor and jury in several editions of this contest. The chef thanked all the people and entities involved in this organization, especially Mateo Urru, who saw the possibility of holding this event in Panama. Thank you very much, Mateo, for believing in us.”
“Being in the competition is not the same as having already gone through all this and saying, ‘Wow, what’s coming is going to be good.’ “Really yes, being able to have the opportunity to have it celebrated in Panama is a great honor,” said Panamanian Gabriela Sarmiento, who represented the Latin American and Caribbean region in the last edition of the Young Chef Academy. “I feel very proud not only as a Panamanian, but as a young chef that we are really making noise; as a country we are achieving it,” she stated.
The announcement ended with words from Gloria de León, Minister of Tourism. “Hosting the Regional Final of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy is the result of sustained work to position Panama as an international gastronomic destination. Receiving the best talents in the region, along with global culinary leaders, places us on the world map in a way that drives our international positioning strategy, highlighting the cultural and gastronomic richness of Panama,” he stated. “Happy, happy to be able to contribute within the Tourism Authority. Once again private company and government working together for Panama.”
