Grace Cacciato has been named the U.S. Regional Winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2026-27, claiming the country's berth at the Grand Finale in Milan in 2027. The two-day regional final, held November 9–10 at the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen in New York City, pitted some of the country's most promising emerging culinary talents against one another before a jury of decorated chefs.
The Winning Dish
Cacciato's signature plate — roasted squab with black raspberry, Swiss chard, toasted buckwheat, chanterelle mushrooms, and ginger sabayon — earned top marks from a five-person jury that included E.J. Lagasse, chef and co-owner of Emeril's; Fariyal Abdullahi, executive chef at Hav & Mar; Isabel Coss, executive chef at Pascual and executive pastry chef at Lutèce; Jon Yao, chef and owner at KATO; and Ryan Ratino of MICHELIN-starred Hive Hospitality. "Winning the U.S. Regional Final is such an honor, especially after cooking alongside such a talented group of chefs," Cacciato said, adding that she hopes the experience encourages other young chefs to take risks and push themselves.
Mentorship and Milan Prep
Ratino, who served on the jury, will now transition into the role of official mentor, guiding Cacciato as she refines her dish and develops her culinary philosophy ahead of the international stage. "Grace has a strong point of view as a chef, and I'm excited to work with her to build on the creativity and technique behind her dish while staying true to the story she wants to tell," Ratino said. The mentorship model — pairing regional winners with established culinary voices — is central to what separates the Academy's competition format from a standard cook-off and reflects a broader fine dining talent development trend the industry has been tracking closely.
Two collateral awards were also presented at the regional final. Evan Neumann received the S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award for his dish highlighting wild razor clams, Napa verjuice, and coastal seaweeds — a nod to sustainable sourcing practices increasingly valued across the foodservice and hospitality sector. Natasha Daniels took home both the Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award and the Fine Dining Lovers Award for her entry, "The Whole Bird, The Whole Garden."
Program Reach and Format
The awards ceremony and gala dinner introduced a notable format addition: a limited number of tickets were made available to consumers through an exclusive partnership with reservation platform Resy — a first for the event. The gala featured a collaborative menu from 2024 U.S. Regional Winner Garrett Brower, chef de cuisine at MICHELIN-starred Bresca in Washington, D.C., and his former mentor Aisha Ibrahim, underscoring how the Academy aims to sustain a living alumni network rather than a one-time competition. Stefano Marini, President of Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages for the Americas, described the program as a vehicle for giving emerging chefs access to leading culinary voices and meaningful connections across global gastronomy. The Academy draws members from more than 70 countries, and its competition structure continues to elevate young chefs whose work might otherwise lack an international platform. For operators and culinary directors watching the pipeline of emerging talent, the regional finalists represent a cross-section of technique and concept that reflects where fine dining is heading.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
