Catalan chef Marta Minoves triumphs at the European Young Chef Award 2024

The 22-year-old chef won the award for her dish "Fonda Tor", a modern reinterpretation of a traditional Berguedà dish.

The 8th European Young Chef Award, held in Sicily (Italy), comprised several stages, including recreating each finalist's original recipe in its traditional version.

Marta Minoves Tor, representing Catalonia, took first place at the European Young Chef Award 2024, held from 27 to 30 November in Sicily. The jury unanimously decided to award her creation "Fonda Tor" as the best dish in the competition.

The winning dish is an evolution of the recipe "Interpretation of grandma Marta's patates emmascarades", with which she had already stood out in the regional round held at the Sant Pol de Mar Hospitality and Tourism School (EUHT) in March, where she was named Best Young Chef of Catalonia.

In preparing for the competition, the Berga-born chef had the support of CETT-UB, the Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy, and advice from the renowned chef Carme Ruscalleda. She also worked with the specialist workshop Luesma Vega, which handcrafted the exclusive tableware used to present the final dish, inspired by the traditional pieces of Fonda Tor, the family establishment that gives the dish its name.

Marta Minoves said: "I wanted to reflect the respect I feel for the product, my land and the Catalan cooking passed on to me by my grandmother, the cook at Fonda Tor. My idea was to bring the jury Catalan mountain cooking, often unknown, while keeping the essence of no-waste cooking."

Participants and prizes 
The competition, held at the IPSSEOA "Giovanni Falcone" in Giarre (Catania), brought together eight finalists from across Europe. Among the winners, Jasmin Kärkkäinen (Saimaa, Finland) took second place and Rosaria Grasso (Sicily, Italy) third.

About the competition
The European Young Chef Award, run by IGCAT, seeks to foster innovation in traditional cooking, champion sustainable food cultures and promote local products through young talent. This year the competition revolved around the theme *Innovation on tradition*, with tests combining culinary history and innovative proposals.

Marta Minoves's participation was supported by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Business and Labour, in collaboration with the Catalan Tourist Board and the Catalan Government's Consortium for Trade, Crafts and Fashion.