Keita Yuge of Japan becomes Barilla’s 2019 Master of Pasta at the Parisian Pasta World Championship!

After 2 days of intense competition, chef Keita Yuge, Japan representative, wins the 2019 Barilla Master of Pasta title thanks to his reinvented signature dish: “Penne Gorgonzola Profumo Giapponese”. A dish which is the best embodiment of the theme of this eighth edition: The Art of Pasta. He is the second Japanese chef to win after Yoshi Yamada, who was awarded in 2012 in the Pasta World Championship first edition.

Paris, France, October 12, 2019 – Keita Yuge has been crowned as 2019 Barilla Master of Pasta this Friday night during the Pasta World Championship, held in Paris on October 10 – 11. He won the title thanks to his reinvented signature dish prepared during “The Gran Finale”, competing against 13 young chefs from all around the world in front of more than 250 international guests: top jury, foodies, industry professionals.

While receiving the prize – an original sculpture made of bronze, which takes inspiration from the pasta die – he said: “I am proud to be the new Barilla Master of Pasta, I would like to transmit my knowledge and all the technical skills I have acquired during the years to the next generations”.

Keita Yuge perfectly turned his dish into a Masterpiece

Keita is a multidisciplinary chef with extensive knowledge of Italian cuisine. He grew his talent in the finest restaurants in Paris (G.Savoy), Tokyo (Chez Inno), Osaka (Quintocanto) and recently Yokohama (Salone 2007). Keta is a member of the Pasta World Championship family since he was a Barilla Pasta World Championship 2017 finalist. This year he cooked “Penne Gorgonzola Profumo Giapponese”, penne gorgonzola with oyster and an aroma of Japan “Sake, Sansho, Yuzu”, and turned his signature dish into a masterpiece for the final round. After the feedback form the jury, Keita improved his recipe using a bowl instead of a plate making all ingredients mix very well together and the pasta stay warm. This recipe made the jury unanimous by its taste but also by the way it embodies the link between the eastern and the western world through pasta and its multiple cooking traditions.

More than a culinary competition, an Art Exhibition

Fourteen chefs under 35 years old from 14 different countries participated in the single-elimination tournament, now in its eight year.

For its very first time since its creation, the Championship took place outside of Italy, in Paris, France. Indeed, it was not only the perfect city to celebrate the 50th Barilla France Anniversary, but also to embody this year’s theme “The Art of Pasta” due to the richness of France’s gastronomy culture and Art.

The fourteen competing chefs had to reveal their signature dish for the first trial “The Masterpiece”, creating their best pasta dish defining the expression “Bello, Buono, Fa bene”: beautiful for the eyes, tasty for the palate and good for the soul. For “The White Canvas” they were asked to prove their talent by embracing a new gastronomy perspective, creating a recipe able to combine creativity with a holistic concept of well-being. Finally, for “The Grand Finale”, the finalists had to find their finest cooking skills and try to improve their signature dish up to perfection.

Barilla gathered the best ingredients from the food and lifestyle fields to entertain the competition. The famous Italian chefs Davide Oldani and Simone Zanoni, the French chef Amandine Chaignot, as well as Italian architect & designer Paola Navone and Australian food photographer & content creator, Ashley Alexander, formed the jury. Beyond the taste, they took into account the story, the culinary style and the aesthetics of each dish. The Championship has been punctuated by a talk about Food, Aesthetics and Art, a live cooking show by the French Chef Amandine Chaignot – putting under the spotlight the new premium Lasagnette from Collezione Edition Gourmet range – and a surprising live music performance “The Sound of Pasta” by Food Ensemble and Davide Oldani.

This hard Championship closed with a great Pasta Party in the Pavillon Cambon, redesigned as an Art Gallery for the occasion.

The Sound of Pasta: a Spaghetti Symphony

Last year, Barilla took its first steps in the world of “cooking and music” thanks to a partnership with the Italian artists Food Ensemble. The group is known for interpreting and presenting brands by creating music inspired by “ad hoc” dishes: the song is made out of sounds sampled by the preparation of the dish.

They sampled the sound of “Spaghetti al cartoccio cacio e pepe”, prepared by Davide Oldani and performed live during the Pasta World Championship 2018. In 2019, Barilla has turned this one-track collaboration into an album called “Spaghetti Symphony” to strengthen the bond between the brand and music. This album includes 4 original tracks each one inspired by a Barilla spaghetti recipe of Davide Oldani. One of them, “Puttanesca with Horseradish” (recipe seen in the spot “Masters of Pasta –The Party” with Davide Oldani and Roger Federer) has been performed during the new edition of the Pasta World Championship 2019 and offered as a vinyl to the event’s guests.

First Rank partners The event was made possible thanks to the participation of nine exceptional partners and leaders in their own categories:

San Pellegrino (gourmet water), Electrolux (professional kitchens), Smeg (design appliances), Marriott (hospitality sector), Vorwerk (premium household product), Campari - Aperol Spritz (spirits), Lavazza (coffee), Moet&Chandon (champagne) and Fine Dining Lovers (media partner).

Moreover, the Pasta World Championship had this year a partnership with Parabere Forum, an independent, international and non-for-profit platform to empower women in hospitality.

For more information about the 2019 Pasta World Championship, full list of participating chefs and bios, you can visit: www.pastaworldchampionship.com.

You can indulge in pasta dishes by following Barilla on Instagram @Barilla. +++

The Barilla Group

Barilla is a family company, not listed on the stock exchange, chaired by brothers Guido, Luca and Paolo Barilla. It was founded by their great-grandfather, Pietro Barilla, who opened a bakery in Parma in 1877. Now, Barilla, is famous in Italy and throughout the world for the excellence of its food products. With its brand – Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pan di Stelle, Gran Cereale, Harry’s, Pavesi, Wasa, Filiz, Yemina and Vesta, Misko, Voiello and Cucina Barilla – it promotes a tasty, joyful and healthy diet, inspired by the Mediterranean Diet and the Italian lifestyle. When Pietro opened his store more than 140 years ago, his overriding aim was to make good food. Today, that principle has become Barilla’s way of doing business: “Good for You, Good for the Planet,” a slogan that expresses the daily commitment of over 8,000 people who work for the company, and of a supply chain that shares its values and passion for quality. “Good for You” means constantly improving the product offering, encouraging the adoption of healthy lifestyles and facilitating people’s access to food.

“Good for the Planet” means promoting sustainable supply chains and reducing CO2 emissions and water consumption. To learn more please visit: www.barillagroup.com; Twitter: @barillagroup

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