Vietnam Culinary Challenge 2022 - Honoring Elite Chefs Among 128 Organizations

On December 7th - 9th, 2022 at SECC, Food and Hotel Vietnam hosted the most anticipated competition for talented chefs across the country as well as the globe - Vietnam Culinary Challenge 2022 (VNCC) took place, attracted 344 candidates from 128 organizations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia.

For years, Vietnam Culinary Challenge has been one of the expected events at Food & Hotel Vietnam. With the stewardship of Chef Norbert Ehrbar and the patronage of the UNESCO Center for Vietnamese Gastronomy Culture (VGC), FHV & VNCC foster a vision of celebrating dedicated innovation in the food & restaurant community, enabling better product sourcing through the exhibition, and training the next generation. It is the ideal platform for chefs to build and expand their professional network with the key players in the F&B industry, and above all,  obtain the respected certificates.

The achievement of VNCC 2022 is especially impressive when considering the number of submissions. In this edition, the competition had a staggering 20% increase of participants from 128 organizations, with 344 entries having been submitted. In which, there were 197 candidates from three countries. VNCC also brought together the registration from 15 universities, schools and colleges all around Vietnam and Malaysia. The massive number of contestants is proof of a year of incredible growth and expansion in the Vietnam culinary scene.

The judging team of VNCC 2022 consisted of fourteen well experienced professionals with strong experience in Asian and western cuisines. All have been judging in culinary competitions worldwide and most are WACS accredited judges. Chef Otto Weibel led the board of judgment. He owned the admired history of international judging and culinary knowledge.

The competitions occurred three days in 14 classes, from national cuisine, meat, seafood, dessert to fruit and vegetable life carving, together with real California milk pizza challenge. After three continuous days of competing, VNCC distributed 177 medals: 28 Gold Medals; 61 Silver Medals; 88 Bronze Medals and 132 Diplomas. Beside the awards given to the winners of each class, VNCC selected special prizes for food safety & hygiene, grand champion, best craver or best culinary establishment. Through all its sections, participants can embark on a challenging journey, test their limits and be inspired to come up with dishes of the highest standards, presenting the best accomplishment to the jury.

“I am very impressed with the variety of the classes in the competition, especially for the Pizza and BBQ, which are brand new sessions compared to previous years.” said Mr. Chau Hoan Cuong, who won the Gold Medal for Real California Milk Pizza Challenge.

It is no wonder that Vietnam Culinary Challenge is named the most appreciated competition among professional chefs as well as rising stars. Chefs are encouraged to display their passion & creativity. Closing a year of recovery in F&B industry with the success of VNCC, let’s continue to honor more and more potential talents in another edition - Hanoi Salon Culinaire in Food & Hotel Hanoi 2023.