After months of efforts and a tough culinary battle comprising five rigorous rounds, the hunt for the best school student chef of India has finally come to an end with Guneev Sachdeva from Dehradun’s Welham Girls’ School emerging as the winner of the eigtht season of the Young Chef India (YCI) Schools. Guneev has won the competition amongst 30,000 higher secondary students from over 2,800 schools across the country. In the mega final of the competition, held recently in Delhi, Guneev successfully managed to outclass her seven opponents, all of whom were the top contestants from North, East, South and West zones.
Guneev said, “I can’t believe that I’ve actually won YCI Schools 2018! I’ve seen my seniors do exceptionally well in the earlier editions of the competition and I wanted to perform as well as them and make my school proud. Winning it is a different feeling altogether.” She further added, “The immense support from my friends, family and school, kept me motivated till the end. I’m especially thankful to all those who voted for me.” At the mega final cook-off, Guneev made a tomato fish dish, accompanied by Fried Arbi, Honey Chilli lotus Stem and Jeera Rice.
YCI Schools is a platform that gives a unique opportunity to higher-secondary students to get a glimpse of the workings of the culinary industry and gain global recognition. Conceptualised and executed by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) since 2011, thousands of students have so far participated in this competition.