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Appreciated so many applications!

Bringing Washoku to the World

Currently there are some 55,000 Japanese restaurants in places other than Japan,
like London, Paris, New York, Shanghai, Jakarta, and more—double the number just three years ago.

Cooks—and lots of gourmets—from around the world are extremely keen on Washoku.

Known for the fact that it emphasizes the flavors of the ingredients themselves, features the uniquely Japanese umami ambiance, and is beautifully presented, Japanese food is healthy, artistic, and above all delectable.

This is the contest involving Cooks of Washoku from around the world who convey the greatness of Washoku to local people around the globe.

Perpetuators of Japanese food everywhere: show us your talents!

Organized by: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Supported by: Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.

受賞者発表

The final round for Washoku World Challenge 2015 was held on Friday, January 30, 2015. Jaran Deephuak, head chef at Japanese restaurant Nanohana in Thailand, was recognized as best of all entrants and awarded the Gold prize.
There were unfortunately no entrants who met the qualifications for Silver prize, so two people were awarded the Bronze prize.

Tilefish steamed with satoimo eddoes and soba
Jaran Deephuak
Male 41y/o Thailand
Head chef at Nanohana
Jaran Deephuak was the only finalist who was making a second try at Washoku World Challenge, and his efforts paid off with a unanimous decision by the judges that he deserved the Gold prize.
By steaming tilefish and satoimo eddoes, he brought out the original tastes of those ingredients. And then he combined them with a mixed bonito-and-kelp-based dashi and topped with nori and fresh wasabi horseradish to complete the plate. Deephuak recommends eating it while savoring the sweet flavor of tilefish and satoimo eddoes and seeing the taste gradually change with nori and wasabi. His conceiving and presenting such as dish with confidence earned this talented chef the Gold prize.
Seafood with tomato and turnip in savory broth

Cho Seo Young

Female 40y/o South Korea
Tsuji Culinary Institute
"Mt. Fuji in Early Spring": Turnip stuffed with crab dumpling
Gonzalo Santiago Bautista

Male 48y/o Mexico
Head chef at Suntory Del Valle

Announcing Our Finalist

Finalist Entries

Tilefish steamed with satoimo eddoes and soba

There is an element of surprise with the imo soba noodles that are placed over tilefish. As you continue to eat it, you taste the bonito-based dashi, nori and fresh horseradish, as well as umami.

Jaran Deephuak

Male 41y/o Thailand
Head chef at Nanohana

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Harmony: Western-style nikujaga

Nikujaga, or beef cooked with potatoes, is everyone's favorite dish, appearing in all Japanese cookbooks. The menu was contrived not as a side dish with rice, but as a dish that goes well with wine. By cooking the same ingredients two different ways, I hope to convey the fun of seeing the traditional and the contemporary encounter each other in a single dish.

Ko Jee Eeun

Female 46y/o South Korea
Hattori Nutrition College

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Crab dumplings steamed in the shell

This is a dish that makes full use of the inherent taste and aroma of crabmeat, with the added flavor of an elegant, classy dish.

Gil Taek Pyo

Male 46y/o South Korea
Supervising chef at Hanazono in The Ritz Carlton Seoul

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Sweet miso and jalapeno seared Salmon sashimi

It plays on every taste buds we have, from umami flavor to sweet to spicy and the sashimi bringing out the plain natural flavor. It is almost like a festival in your mouth.

Usman Khan

Male 30y/o Pakistan
Sushi chef at Nobu in Cape Town

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Simmered Sauries with Pickled Plums

High quality fresh fish with regular Japanese ingredients. It's a seasonal dish and my specialty which suitable for VIP guests.

Wasala Thusharath Mudiyanselage

Male 45y/o Sri Lanka
Senior sous chef at Kiku in Le Meridien Dubai

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"Mt. Fuji in Early Spring": Turnip stuffed with crab dumpling

I thought up of this dish, with inspiration by Mt. Fuji, a beautiful mountain in Japan.

Gonzalo Santiago Bautista

Male 48y/o Mexico
Head chef at Suntory Del Valle

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Seafood with tomato and turnip in savory broth

Oseon is said to be a menu item that was once served in the royal Korean court long ago. It is an elegant and healthy dish, featuring a well-balanced collaboration of vegetables and fish. I also used the five distinct colors of South Korea (red, white, black, green and yellow) and created a delicious dish that is also beautiful to look at.

Cho Seo Young

Female 40y/o South Korea
Tsuji Culinary Institute

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Yellowtail in beef net

I have made this a unique dish by using, as the base, teriyaki sauce which is well-known as a popular menu, and combining it with other Japanese ingredients, and cooking them with an even more modern, European culinary technique.

Daniele Codini

Male 27y/o Italy
Senior sous-chef at Yashin Ocean House

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Tonyu-ShabuShabu

A hotpot of Seattle's finest seafood cooked in a soymilk-based stock and crowned with raw sea urchin wrapped in fresh soymilk skin.

Aaron L Pate

Male 39y/o USA
Sushi chef at Shiro's Sushi

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Wagyu yuzu steak

A dish combining yuzu, which is Japan's leading citrus, and wagyu steak. Garnish it with yuzu pepper and yuzu jam for added fun.

Nasrul Awaludin

Male 34y/o Indonesia
Cook at Kappo Don

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審査委員の紹介

決勝戦審査委員

Masayoshi Kazato

president of Sakae Sushi

Kihachi Kumagai

chief advisor to Ivy

Yoshihiro Takahashi

The fifteenth-generation chef of Hyotei Nanzenji

Toru Fushiki

professor of post-graduate studies at Kyoto University

Masayasu Yonemura

owner of Yonemura restaurant

Li Kwok Wing

WWC2013 winner

Alain Ducasse

French cuisine chef

Schedule / Screening Method

October 31, 2014

Application Deadline

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Mid November - Early December

Initial Screening: Documents

Washoku specialists review the information contained in the Application Forms based on the Japaneseness, degree of perfection, and originality of the dishes, and the best will be selected for the actual competition after being replicated and taste-tested by the specialists based on the recipes.

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January 30, 2015

Competition

The actual competition will be held in Kyoto on January 30, 2015. The Washoku World Challenge 2015 Secretariat pays travel and accommodation expenses for contestants. Contestants will be asked to make the dish that they described on their application, plus another specified dish (to be announced at a later date) to evaluate their basic skills in Washoku. Judges will evaluate the contestants based on their cooking skills and the degree of perfection of their dishes.

Competition

Competition

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January 31

Prize-Giving

Prize-Giving
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About Washoku World Challenge

The Washoku World Challenge 2015 is a Washoku event which individuals of non-Japanese nationality engaged in the field of Washoku are eligible to participate. Ten chefs who pass the initial screening will be invited to the final round in Kyoto on January 30, 2015. The top three contestants will be awarded the Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes, and other finalists will be awarded with honorable mention prizes.

The first Washoku World Challenge in 2013 saw 106 entries from 21 countries and regions, and Li Kwok Wing from Singapore was crowned the first winner. Join us for this opportunity to boost your career and your restaurant. We look forward to seeing you challenge yourself!

See more about details in 2013 (Washoku World Challenge 2013 Website)

Application Guidelines

Applicant Eligibility

Cooks or cooking school students of non-Japanese nationality (regardless of current address).

Dish Entry Guidelines

  • Dishes must either be an original created by the applicant or by the restaurant establishment managed by the applicant (or where the applicant is employed). Restaurant employees wishing to apply for the Competition must obtain the permission of the owner or restaurant manager.
  • Applicants must apply with one a la carte dish (or one part of a course). Applicants may make up to three entries. ・Applicants may not enter a dish for this contest that has already won a prize in another contest.
  • Recipes entered in this Competition must be replicable by a third party, including ingredients and how much of each ingredient to use, the process of how to make the dish, and presentation.
  • Sweets, desserts, and drinks cannot be entered in the Competition.

Personal Information

Personal information noted in the Application Form is managed and controlled by the Washoku World Challenge 2015 Secretariat (Nikkei BP). This information is used only to the extent necessary to implement the competition, including: announcement of screening results, inquiries made to applicants, and contacting winning contestants, etc.

Explanation of our acquiring personal information

Publicizing of Dish Entries 

Dishes entered by applicants will be shown on the Competition Website, in Competition pamphlets, etc. In addition, the Washoku World Challenge 2015 Secretariat reserves the right to use dish entries submitted by applicants in footage and publications featuring contest entries. Please note this when you apply.



Application Deadline

October 31, 2014 (Please note that applications will not be accepted after this date.)

Questions/inquiries

washoku-question@nikkeibp.co.jp

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