On February 3, the “Stars Cooking - Young Challenge” congress was held in Pordenone, Italy, aimed at bringing together a variety of prominent personalities from the world of catering from all over Italy (and beyond). For the occasion, the creator of the congress, Fabrizio Nonis, told us about the novelties of the third edition and the growing importance of allowing young talents to express themselves and establish themselves.
Photo credits: Omar Breda
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The interview
“Stars Cooking - Young Challenge” is a conference conceived and led by Fabrizio Nonis, aka El Bekér, with the aim of enhancing and promoting young chefs in today's gastronomic scene. The third edition, held on Monday, February 3, 2025 at the prestigious Center of Excellence of Electrolux Professional in Pordenone, was inaugurated by Minister Luca Ciriani, further confirming the government's interest in Italian cuisine as a candidate for UNESCO Intangible Heritage. The response from the public was more than surprising (a Sold Out was reached 10 days before!): the interlocution was continuous and pleasant, as well as particularly dynamic.
During the day five talents, linked by a lowest common denominator - humility mixed with healthy ambition - presented their ideas centered on the theme Don't Waste (Food), Don't Lose (Time). Their names? Ariel Hagen, Mattia Bianchi, Marco Galtarossa, Riccardo Barni and Alberto Toè, followed by as many qualified and diverse leading figures: the mentors, who shared their experiences providing valuable insights into catering and management. We are talking about real authorities in the field: Chicco and Bobo Cerea, Aya Yamamoto, Peppe Guida, Terry Giacomello and Raffaele Alajmo.
“”Star Cooking - Young Challenge” was created to offer chefs under the age of 40 an opportunity for growth in an environment focused on quality and comparison. Thus, a space is created where individual moments become fundamental, as well as mutual insight and exchange; the conference is not based on speed, the focus is on dialogue, including (and especially) with the expert audience, and the transmission of a whirlwind of visions, projects, perspectives, difficulties. Moreover, everyone has his or her own role, but each is treated with equal importance, including the seconds,", Nonis says.
This year's slogan speaks loud and clear: it is not a passing trend, but a modus operandi that translates concretely into the proposals and guides the choices of professionals. "Throwing away food is inadmissible, yet it represents an everyday problem. However, it is necessary to reiterate it and to demonstrate that, through ingenuity and technique, we can give a second chance to those parts of raw materials that remain unused or not valued, both animal and vegetable, such as peels and offal. As a butcher myself, I am fighting for the concept of Etik Meat to be recognized as a responsible approach, convincing consumers to reduce waste, and promoting cuts that are less valuable than the classic filet, but just as tasty such as muscle, bones, cheeks, diaphragm, and so on. You can eat more, without overdoing it, by sacrificing less (about a third). While seasonality is crucial nowadays, it allows you to work with fresh ingredients, reducing environmental impact and enhancing biodiversity. On the other hand, there is the time factor, which is extremely valuable, yet fleeting-we learned this with Covid-19. The new generation wants to stand out, but they want to carve out more or less moments to devote to private life.".
Such remarks fueled the development of significant considerations that summarize the ultimate purpose of the initiative, so much so that “The congress was enlivened by the brilliance of the enlightened participants, and with their contributions they enlightened those who came to listen to them (the parterre was packed)”.
Another aspect examined concerns behavioral ethics at the dinner table: "Diners, for their part, should also at least be able to leave their cell phones behind for at least half an hour, if not 15 minutes-that would already be an achievement! It is checked too many times per meal. The gesture is not only disrespectful to the brigade, but also prevents one from appreciating the experience as a whole, making the moment at the table less valuable than it really should be".
Returning to the symposium, Fabrizio is keen to tell us about the evolution of the Lectio Magistralis and all the facets that made the review unique: "Out of six recipes, four were 100% green: the young chefs under 40 were able to distinguish themselves by honoring their origins, giving vent to the ancestral flame that vibrates in their souls by expressing peculiar characteristics; I am amazed since they did not lean exclusively toward meat-based preparations, despite the fact that they all have them on the menu. It prompts me to confirm that the focus of the comparison was interpreted correctly. For example, in one of the dishes cauliflower was used with its leaves to make particularly appealing chips; the same was done with artichoke. One of them, on the other hand, produced a broth-almost oily-by employing the marrow and fat component. I noticed a certain effort in applying technology to the recovery of leftovers and scraps, and repurposing them in a whole new, noble and designer guise: slow cooking, at low temperature, flavoring and plating, are elements that collaborated in achieving success."
When asked , “If you had to give one piece of advice to kids, what would it be?”, the wandering gastronome replied, "Set firm stakes, obligations! Eliminate from the menu the superfluous, what is not needed! Optimize as much as you can: exemplifying one of the young chefs, who was able to make judicious and long-term use of an internal resource, after harvesting a lot of asparagus in the garden between April and mid-June, he decided to freeze and preserve it.".
He concludes, “We need the up-and-comers to show us a new path for the future, but it won't happen until mentors give them space, strength and protection.”.
