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7th International Young Chef Olympiad, World’s biggest culinary competition for student chefs, to be hosted virtually from January 31 to February 6, 2021

  • India to host contestants from 50 countries at YCO 2021
  • The winner will receive the coveted YCO 2021 Champion Trophy and a cash prize of USD 10,000

NEW DELHI, Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The world’s biggest Olympiad for culinary students – the IIHM International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) – is back with a bang to celebrate the multicultural diversity of food from across the world. The seventh edition of the event will be held virtually this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic from 31th January to 6th February. YCO 2021 will witness participation of student chefs from 50 countries, including Spain, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, Turkey, UAE, Sweden, among others. Adopting the theme of ‘Forward Together’, the competition will unite the young talents of the culinary world to champion this virtual culinary battle through their positive action.

Opening Ceremony is scheduled on Sunday Jan 31, 06:30 PM India Time OR 1 PM GMT and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/5Ym6p78NA5s

During the 5-day long intense competition, which is being organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council London, the contestants will undertake 2 rounds of culinary challenges in their quest to win the coveted YCO 2021 Champion Trophy, a cash prize of USD 10,000 and a validation of their skills by globally renowned experts from the food and hospitality industry.

Talking about YCO 2021, Dr Suborno Bose, the CEO of International Hospitality Council (IHC) and Founder YCO, said, “The COVID-19 Pandemic and an era of social distancing has not deterred our spirit to take the International Young Chef Olympiad to the next level. With 50 countries coming together virtually to celebrate the diversity of food from across the borders, YCO 2021 is not just the biggest culinary competition in the world but also a global platform fostering the spirit of youth, friendship, diversity and inclusiveness. Moreover, it brings all the young and talented future stars of the international culinary scene on a single platform where they connect with each other and share insights out of their experiences.”

YCO 2021 will commence on 31st January with a grand opening ceremony and the competition rounds will start from 1st February on Zoom video conferencing. The top 10 contestants as per the scores of the previous round will compete in the Grand Finale of YCO 2021 on 4th and 5th February split in 2 groups of 5 countries in each, across 2 days in different time zones to accommodate all. The Plate Trophy will also be held on the 4th and 5th February wherein the contestants holding positions 11 to 20 in the first round will compete. The Olympiad will conclude on 6th February with a closing ceremony, where the YCO 2021 Champion, runners-up and other awardees will be announced. This year, the participants will be competing for awards such as ‘Rising Star’, ‘Best Vegetarian Dish’, ‘Best Hygiene and Kitchen Practice’, ‘Best Chicken Saute Dish’, ‘Ambassador Award’, ‘Mentor Award’, ‘Sustainability Award’, ‘Best Use of Kitchen Cut’ and ‘Best Afternoon Tea Profiteroles’.

This year as the Olympiad is happening online, each participant will be recorded live in his or her own kitchen preparing and producing each of the 3 dishes within the prescribed time and a team of judges will be able to view the work of each participant throughout the entire competition period. Due to the time zones, competing countries will be divided into groups according to their local time’s close proximity. Separate virtual competition rooms will be created for each group of judges allowing for the judges to interact throughout the full period of the competition, to discuss each competitor and to mark accordingly.

In the competition’s first round, the contestants will be required to prepare three dishes – 4 portions of a Chicken cut for saute with a garnish and sauce, 8 chocolate eclairs suitable for a luxury afternoon tea and 4 portions of a Vegetarian dish using the mentioned ingredients in 2 and a half hours. The contestants will be judged on their basic skills, nutrition, health and safety, taste and creativity in this round.

The Grand Finale and Plate Trophy Finals of YCO 2021 will test the contestant’s creativity, innovation, cooking skills and professional good practice in a time bound environment. For the grand finale, the contestants will be given 2 and a half hours for preparing 2 litres of chicken stock into a consommé with a garnish and Gateau St Honore for 10 persons using a sweet pastry as the base and choux pastry filled with a crème chiboust. For the Plate Trophy Finals, the contestants will be required to prepare the same Gateau St Honore for 10 persons, but in 2 hours.

Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor will be the Principal Judge and Mentor for YCO 2021 while Prof David Foskett (MBE) will be the Chairman of the Jury. The panel of judges will include internationally acclaimed judges and celebrity chefs including Chef Brian Turner, the President of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, Chef Andreas Muller from Hong Kong, Chef Chris Galvin (UK), Chef John Wood (UK), Chef Stuart Littlejohn (UK), Chef Henry Brosi (UK), Chef Andy Varma (UK), Chef Stefan Hogan (Malta), Chef Garth Stroebel (South Africa), Chef Enzo Oliveri (Italy), Chef Ranveer Brar (India), Chef Parvinder Bali (India), Chef Abhijit Saha (India) and many more. The judges will evaluate the contestants on their ability to efficiently manage a food production area keeping in mind factors like health and safety, good hygiene practice, ability to follow a recipe, culinary skills, creativity, etc.

Showcasing the multicultural culinary diversity of different countries, YCO 2021 will also bring together the student chefs and chef mentors for the ‘United World of Young Chefs’. This event will be held on 3rd February and it will provide a great opportunity for the 50 participating countries to present their national cuisine to a global culinary audience.

Launched in the year 2015, YCO aims to give young student chefs from around the world a platform to showcase their skills and compete at the global level. Through the last six editions of the Olympiad, the world has seen culinary stars being born and dreams being celebrated on the global culinary stage. The winners of the past editions of YCO were Ashwin Nicholas Oon from Malaysia (2015), Daniella Germond from Canada (2016), Tham Jiajun Mathew from Singapore (2017), Lai Jia Yi from Malaysia (2018), Cyrene Randrianasolo from France (2019) and Chen Khai Loong from Malaysia (2020).

Young Chef Olympiad website – https://ycolympiad.com/

About IIHM 

IIHM (International Institute of Hotel Management) is the largest chain of premier hospitality and hotel management schools across India that started its journey in 1994 at Kolkata. IIHM is a part of Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. IIHM campuses are located across ten national and international cities with the associate institute IAM-IHM located in Kolkata, and Guwahati. Students passing out of IIHM are armed with an international degree from the University of West London and equipped with global hospitality skills that enable easy placements in any hospitality brand across the world. IIHM is dedicated to its pursuit of excellence in teaching and placements. Real time experience is the key to success in hospitality and that makes the institute popular. In recent years, IIHM has been instrumental in organizing the Young Chef Olympiad, a unique idea and initiative inviting young culinary talents across the world to participate in the biggest cookery reality shows of all times. 

The institute has bagged several prestigious awards in the past 24 years. The list includes the Best Education Brand Award from Economic Times consecutively in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. It was also featured in Forbes Magazine as Great Indian Institute and Great Place to Study consecutively in the year 2018 and 2019. IIHM was also awarded as one among the World’s Greatest Brands & Leaders 2015-16 by URS International (IMEA – Process Reviewer PriceWaterhouseCoopers PL) and also received the Best Institute in Hospitality Education 2017 Award by Assocham from Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Govt. of India. 

Media Contact :

Abdullah Ahmed

abdullah.ahmed@iihm.ac.in

+91-(0)1143204700,

Director, International Institute of Hotel Management

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SPJIMR holds Annual Convocation 2025 with HUL’s Nitin Paranjpe as Chief Guest

802 graduates embark on a journey to lead with integrity, passion, and a growth mindset

MUMBAI, India, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, one of India’s leading business schools, hosted its Annual Convocation 2025 at its Mumbai campus on Saturday, 17 May. The event celebrated the achievements of over 800 graduating participants from across the Institute’s full-time and modular postgraduate programmes, including two (2) Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) scholars.

The Convocation was graced by Mr. Nitin Paranjpe, Non-Executive Chairman of Hindustan Unilever, as Chief Guest. Also, present were Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chair of SPJIMR’s Governing Council; Dr. Varun Nagaraj, Dean, SPJIMR; faculty and staff; and family members of the graduating participants.

Delivering the Convocation Address, Mr. Nitin Paranjpe drew upon his decades of global business experience to urge the graduating cohort to lead with purpose, resilience, and a commitment to continuous growth. Speaking of India’s bold aspiration to become a Viksit Bharat by 2047, he highlighted the need for a new kind of leadership—one that is ethical, compassionate, and driven by the common good.

Mr. Paranjpe shared three powerful life lessons drawn from his personal and professional journey: “There’s no such thing as a good job or a bad one — it’s the mindset you bring that shapes your experience. The real joy, and the foundation for excellence, lies in loving what you do. Don’t chase being the best in the world — strive to be the best version of yourself. Continuous self-improvement is your right, your responsibility, and your greatest opportunity. Purpose is that inner force that fuels your energy and passion. When you find what truly drives you, hold on to it — it’s the most precious gift you’ll ever have.”

In his address, Dean Dr. Varun Nagaraj shared a candid reflection on the challenges graduates face in an uncertain world—geopolitical tensions and the dual promise and peril of AI. He urged them to enter this complex landscape with confidence, guided by SPJIMR’s mission of value-based growth and wise innovation.

He reaffirmed SPJIMR’s commitment to nurturing leaders who combine knowledge with empathy and impact with purpose: “Tomorrow you will be a different and better person than today. Embrace a growth mindset—remember, you are a work in progress, not a finished product. The world offers no ready-made answers; solutions come only through hard work and wise innovation.”

Sixteen (16) top achievers across programmes were presented with Scholastic Medals by Chief Guest Mr. Nitin Paranjape, and 50 recipients from the Dean’s Honour List received their commendation certificates from the Dean. 

Diplomas were conferred across the Institute’s full-time and modular programmes, including the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM), PGDM (Business Management), Post Graduate Executive Management Programme (PGEMP), Post Graduate Programme in Development Management (PGPDM), Post Graduate Programme in General Management (PGPGM), and Post Graduate Programme in Marketing & Business Management (PGPMBM).

The Convocation ceremony concluded with the traditional hat throw, celebrating the graduates’ journey and the beginning of their next chapter as responsible, value-based leaders.

About SPJIMR

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) is a leading postgraduate management institute, recognised by the Financial Times MiM Global Rankings as India’s #1 business school, by Business Today as one of the country’s top five business schools, and by the Positive Impact Rating as one of the top five business schools worldwide for societal impact. Known for its innovative and socially conscious approach to management education, research, and community engagement, SPJIMR aims to influence managerial practice and promote the value-based growth of its students, alumni, organisations and their leaders, and society. SPJIMR holds the international ‘triple crown’ of accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA.

Visit SPJIMR.org for more information.

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12BET Brings the Aviator Craze to Players with Spribe’s Trending Games

MUMBAI, India, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — 12BET, a trusted name in global iGaming since 2007, is excited to announce the addition of Spribe’s hit Crash games to its growing lineup. This new partnership introduces one of today’s fastest-growing and most engaging game formats to 12BET players, blending simple mechanics with high-stakes decision-making for a pulse-pounding experience.

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Crash Games: A New Player Favorite Now on 12BET

Spribe is widely known for pushing boundaries in casual, skill-based gaming. Its flagship title, Aviator, has quickly become one of the most buzzed-about Crash games worldwide. The format gives players full control as they decide when to cash out while multipliers climb—creating a unique mix of strategy, timing, and excitement.

By launching Spribe’s game suite, 12BET continues to expand its offerings to match the evolving interests of modern players. To mark the launch, the platform is rolling out an exclusive Daily Mission Challenge where everyone can win Rupees 488 everyday. However, one needs to have an account and be registered user to avail this exclusive offer.

Licensing Matters: Keeping the Fun Safe and Secure

With Crash-style games surging in popularity, a number of unofficial sites have begun to appear, offering deals that seem too good to be true. Even manipulating the outcomes of the crash games. 12BET encourages players to stay cautious and choose licensed platforms for the best experience.

As a fully regulated operator, 12BET works only with certified providers like Spribe. All games on the platform are thoroughly tested and certified by the regulatory body before they are integrated. Choosing a licensed platform means players can enjoy the action with peace of mind, knowing their data and winnings are protected.

A Trusted Platform for Next-Gen Gaming

Backed by nearly two decades of industry experience, 12BET remains focused on delivering innovative, secure, and player-first entertainment. The addition of Spribe’s Crash games is just the latest move in the brand’s mission to bring cutting-edge content to players worldwide in a safe and reliable environment.

About 12BET:

12BET, founded in 2007, is a pioneering igaming company with over a decade of experience delivering multilingual services across Europe and Asia. Recognized globally and ranked 17th by eGaming Review Magazine’s Annual Power 50, 12BET has become a major force in Asia’s igaming market. Built on the core values of sincerity, fairness, and kindness, 12BET provides a secure, reliable, and exceptional entertainment experience for users around the world.

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Marketing Manager

pr@12bet.com 

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Herbalife India Releases Second Episode of Podcast Series – Live Your Best Life, Unscripted

‘Nutrition Simplified: Protein, Supplements, and Smarter Choices’ with Dr. Parag Singhal and Dr. Ratnesh Lal

BENGALURU, India, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Following the impactful debut episode, Herbalife India, a premier health and wellness company, community, and platform, has released the second episode of its engaging podcast series — Live Your Best Life, Unscripted.

Titled ‘Nutrition Simplified: Protein, Supplements, and Smarter Choices,’ this episode brings together two distinguished voices from the health and wellness space:

  • Dr. Parag Singhal, a UK-based consultant physician and endocrinologist specializing in diabetes, obesity, and hormone-related disorders, and
  • Dr. Ratnesh Lal, a medical expert with Herbalife India and a leading advocate for science-backed supplementation.

In a conversation led by Mr. Ajay Khanna, Managing Director of Herbalife India, the episode explores foundational topics such as macronutrients, micronutrients, protein intake, and the science behind supplements. It aims to demystify nutrition, offer practical guidance, and help individuals make smarter, more personalized dietary choices.

Commenting on the episode, Mr. Ajay Khanna, Managing Director of Herbalife India said, “Live Your Best Life, Unscripted is our way of cutting through the noise and bringing clarity to the wellness conversation. This episode helps listeners decode their nutritional needs and highlights how simple, informed changes can drive lasting impact.”

From understanding protein requirements by age and lifestyle, to identifying safe and effective supplementation strategies, the episode offers tangible insights and a strong call for moderation, balance, and awareness.

Watch & Listen Now:

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/PlRF8

Apple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/Ni76S

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/7xeeP

Amazon Music: https://shorturl.at/P5ulX

The journey continues — ‘Live Your Best Life, Unscripted‘ will keep spotlighting voices that inspire smarter choices, healthier living, and empowered communities.

Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) is a premier health and wellness company, community and platform that has been changing people’s lives with great nutrition products and a business opportunity for its independent distributors since 1980. The Company offers science-backed food products to consumers in more than 90 markets through entrepreneurial distributors who provide one-on-one coaching and a supportive community that inspires their customers to embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle to live their best life.

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