“To create my innovative dish I have been inspired by Modernism and its use of colours, light and transgressive forms,” affirms Osvaldo Sejas, the finalist who will represent Catalonia, European Region of Gastronomy 2016 (and recently awarded World Region of Gastronomy awarded 2025) at the 7th European Young Chef Award.
Osvaldo is a 19-year-old cook student originally from Bolivia. He grew up in his native country until the age of 12, when he moved to Barcelona with his family to study. There he welcomed the possibility of learning more about the history, art and gastronomy of Catalonia.
His interest in cooking began when he was 9 and used to help his grandmother in her small restaurant. At the age of 16, after finishing high school, he enrolled at the Escola Superior d’Hostaleria Vedruna Gracia to study cooking and gastronomy. Every day on his way to school, he would pass by Casa Vicens, considered Gaudí’s first major work, from where he took the inspiration to create his dish for the European Young Chef Award 2023: an innovation on Molls Gaudí (Gaudí’s style mullets).
Created by chef Ferran Adrià for elBulli restaurant in 1993, Molls Gaudí is an iconic dish that revolutionised Catalan cuisine, where the mullet comes coated with a mosaic of multi-coloured vegetables. Drawn from a very traditional and humble recipe, Adrià’s version was inspired by Gaudí and the famous trencadís (broken tile mosaics) of the modernist movement, by which surfaces are covered with irregular pieces of bright and colourful ceramic, glass or marble tiles. Considered a pioneer in environmentally-friendly construction, Gaudí usually got his tiles from waste materials including broken culinary utensils, such as plates, cups, or glasses.
“I have reinterpreted the original recipe, keeping its traditional ingredients, but drawing from Modernism and its main features, such as the predominance of colours; the light intensity; the application of transgressive forms; the use of vegetables and flowers; and the Art Nouveau influence,” explains Osvaldo.
About IGCAT’s European Young Chef Award
The European Young Chef Award is an annual competition organised by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Art and Tourism (IGCAT) that gathers young culinary talents from the awarded and candidate European Regions of Gastronomy. Selected each year through local contests, finalists to the European Young Chef Award compete by innovating traditional recipes from their regions using local ingredients.
The 7th edition of the European Young Chef Award is organised and promoted by IGCAT and hosted by Hauts-de-France, European Region of Gastronomy awarded 2023. The competition will be held at the Lycée Hôtelier Le Touquet on 20-24 November 2023 and is supported by Hauts-de-France 2023 consortium members: Chambre d’Agriculture Hauts de France; CCI Hauts de France; Chambre des Métiers et de l’Artisanat Hauts de France; Hauts de France Tourisme; Plateforme des Organisme du Tourisme; UMIH Union des Métiers et des Industrie de l’Hôtellerie; UniLaSalle; Programme Investissement Avenir; Caisse des dépôts; GIP Forinval Amiens; Région Académique Hauts de France; and Région Hauts de France.
About the World/European Regions of Gastronomy
World/European Regions of Gastronomy, guided by IGCAT, are working together to strengthen food security through the celebration of distinctive food cultures; create employment by stimulating creativity and gastronomic innovation; nourish children and adults through culinary and cultural education; driving environmental sustainability in tourism, hospitality and agricultural sectors; supporting balance and sustainable tourism practices; highlighting and supporting expertise from within rural and urban communities, creating connections and sharing good practices; and contributing to community health and well-being.
About IGCAT
IGCAT aims to empower local communities by raising awareness of the importance of protecting and promoting distinct regional food, culture, arts and natural assets as part of sustainable and balanced tourism and development strategies. This is essential to safeguarding our planet, health, wellness and local economies.
IGCAT is a non-profit institute established in 2012, working with regional stakeholder consortiums in the fields of gastronomy, culture, arts and tourism. It counts on the expertise of a worldwide network of experts and works in partnership with specialised intergovernmental organisations.
IGCAT founded the World/European Region of Gastronomy Award and is the official secretariat for the World/European Regions of Gastronomy Platforms. Furthermore, the Institute has developed the European Young Chef Award, the World Food Gift Challenge, the Top Websites for Foodie Travelers Award and the international Food Film Menu.