The fourth annual edition of International Young Chef Olympiad hosted by IIHM was held between January 28 and February 2. Young Chefs from 50 countries confirmed participation in the three-round Olympiad held in four cities in India – Delhi, Pune, Benngaluru, and Kolkata. Marking the countdown for the Season IV, the draw of Groups was held in London, where 50 teams were divided into five groups for the Olympiad to be held in three rounds.

The opening ceremony was held at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on January 28. The first round of the competition for each team took place in Delhi, Pune, and Bangalore. Round II and the Grand Finale took place in Kolkata at the Hyatt Regency and the IIHM Campus. 

Ten celebrity chefs from across the world jointly shouldered the responsibility of selecting the winner of YCO 2018. The Chairperson of the Jury Panel for YCO 2018 was Prof. David Foskett (OBE), with Chef Chris Galvin, Chef John Wood, Chef Enzo Oliveri, Zenobia Nadirshaw, Ron Scott, Shaun Kenworthy, Chef Udoleick, Chef Andreas Mueller and Chef Karl Guggenmos as Jury members.

IIHM’s own team of chefs led by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor judged the competition. IIHM brand ambassador Chef Ranvir Brar and celebrity chef Kunal Kapoor were also present. Other guest judges included Chef Saurav Sahai, Chef Abhijit Ghosh, and Chef Pradip Rosario.

Expressing his gratitude on the outstanding support that YCO 2018 is receiving from the culinary industry across the world, Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of Indismart Group said, "The Young Chef Olympiad was conceptualized as a platform for young chefs-in-training from around the world to interact and showcase their talent. We are glad to see a great response from the international community, who have come together to make this event a great success over the past three editions. We have put India at the center of the culinary map of the world. In future, we intend to make Young Chef Olympiad bigger with over 100 countries participating in our next edition.”