Winners of prestigious global hospitality industry initiative move to world finals
Canada’s leading hospitality icon, Nick Di Donato, CEO of the Liberty Entertainment Group, is pleased to announce the winners of the first-ever Canadian national Young Chef Young Waiter contest (YCYW).
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Online contest entries ran from August through September and a judging panel of renowned hospitality personalities shortlisted six finalists for both categories, who participated in the grand finale of culinary and service challenges at Toronto’s Michelin award-winning restaurant, Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto. The winners move to the international stage, to compete in the World YCYW Finals on November 15 – 17th, in Monaco.
The winners are:
Servers
1. Paul Mckeand Langdon Hall Country House and Spa, Cambridge
2. Dunja Zdralic Langdon Hall Country House and Spa, Cambridge
3. Katherine Veilleux Her Father’s Craft Ciderhouse and Kitchen, Toronto
Chefs
1. Haofeng (Tyler) Lin Hilton Toronto
2. Karly Ready Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, Cambridge
3. Brendan Tran Richmond Station (FT) Wynona (PT), Toronto
The esteemed judges
Made up of top figures from Canada’s hospitality sector and industry professionals with world-class skills, the expert judges included Richard Andino, corporate chef, Liberty Group, Daniele Corona, Michelin star awarded executive chef, Don Alfonso, Toronto, Nick Di Donato, president and CEO, Liberty Group, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Kostuch Media’s Foodservice and Hospitality and Hotelier magazines, Nadia Di Donato, vice president and creative director, Liberty Group, Scott Breard, Chairman, DiRoNa, Michael Lombardi, Ontario Regional Director, Les Clefs d’Or Canada, Jason Bangerter, executive chef, Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, Shinan Govani, author, Maria Sosnovtseva, Ontario Regional Secretary, Les Clefs d’Or Canada, and more, including VineRoutes Editor, Carmelo Giardina.
(Photo by SVPhotography) Karly Ready of Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, was awarded first runner-up chef.
All are well known advocates for new talent as well as staunch supporters of food culture and will help competitors advance their careers and achieve their goals. Sponsors of the event included ChefWorks®, Canada Produce, Profile Wine Group and Halpern Wine Enterprises.
“We are thrilled to be title partner to host the inaugural Canadian contest, and are very proud of the contestants, and the grand winners,” said Nick Di Donato, president and CEO, Liberty Group. “Following a grueling challenge of service and a tightly marked competition thanks to our esteemed judges, we can truly say the winners represent the best of Canada’s hospitality industry, and we are proud for them to now take the world stage.”
About Young Chef Young Waiter
The Young Chef Young Waiter competition, established in 1979, was relaunched by hospitality experts The Nth Degree Global in 2019 in partnership with UKHospitality and the Restaurant Association. The competition promotes hospitality as a career of choice, a profession, and a vocation. The competition is open to all young chefs and waiters from any background under the age of twenty-six. The aim of World Young Chef Young Waiter is simple: to uncover the absolute best young talent in our industry and help equip them with relevant skills, current knowledge and the network needed to succeed in the world of hospitality.
Devised by respected professionals, the competition has a fresh modern approach that focuses on tasks and criteria that are challenging, educational and fun. World Young Chef Young Waiter highlights all aspects of hospitality. Inspiring, empowering and inclusive, we celebrate the capabilities and diversity of our amazing industry.
These are the hospitality leaders of the future. Many past winners have gone on to achieve tremendous success in hospitality and World YCYW proudly supports the future stars of kitchens and restaurants.
