Melbourne’s KyongHo Daniel Choi Could Be the World’s Next Best Young Chef

Each year, the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy has crowned one tenacious, creative kitchen talent from a dazzling set of global hopefuls over the last decade. In each of the 15 competing regions, hundreds of applicants are whittled down to a clutch of finalists, then just one champion – who goes on to compete for the top prize in Milan. Representing the Pacific this year is Australia’s KyongHo “Daniel” Choi, the sous chef of South Yarra’s celebrated Euro-influenced fine diner Omnia. And he’s pulling out some tricks.

“You want a bit of personality on the plate,” he tells Broadsheet, right after spending a day refining his dish with mentor, world-renowned Australian chef Josh Niland. “At the end of the day, everyone at the final’s going to be able to cook. And everything will be tasty. So it has to be something a bit more personal.”

His dish is titled Bacon and Cabbage, or Pork and Kimchi, and it artfully plates up his heritage: born in South Korea, raised in Ireland. “I’m putting two different cultures, from one side of the world to the other, together. And showcasing that you don’t have to just stick to one.”

Of course, competing for the Pacific, there’ll be an Aussie edge to it – but with the heat of October’s SPYCA Grand Finale fast approaching, he’s keeping the details hush.

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition waltzes a fine line: chefs need to be nimble and detail-oriented, exacting and efficient. They also have to be under 30. “It’s a massive opportunity to get yourself out there, it opens more doors, especially in your career,” Choi says. “It’s a great thing for your CV – but also just for yourself, to just challenge yourself and put yourself in uncomfortable situations.”

Choi’s CV already features the two-Michelin-starred Chapter One and Greenhouse in Dublin, and San Francisco’s single-starred In Situ. These tenures – as well as all those beforehand, and the Aussie pans he’s handled since – led him here.

“I remember when I went to go stage [at Corey Lee’s In Situ], it was just so refined and regimented, it was something completely different to what I’m used to. Even just doing the stage there gave me the opportunity to go work with Mickael [Viljanen] in Dublin, and from there coming all the way to Australia. It just opened so many doors for me.”

Then there’s Niland’s influence. The captain of Sydney’s Saint Peter is a master of precision, innovation, flavour and sustainability – all skills he’s nurturing in Choi. “He’s just been giving me little tips, a whole different perspective, a fresh set of eyes,” the young chef says. “Someone with so much knowledge to be able to give you their ideas behind your dish, it’s just amazing.”

Bacon and Cabbage, or Pork and Kimchi, is a technical, personal dish up against 14 strong contenders. Pork loin stuffed with black pudding is plated up with gochujang puree, cheddar custard and a perfected pomme soufflé. Then there’s Korean blood sausage pudding, cabbage with a kimchi filling and an apple and mustard soju. Kimchi-laced Irish soda bread – developed together with Omnia head chef Evin Doherty, from Ireland’s Donegal – sits to one side.

“There’s a little bit of heat with the gochujang and the kimchi, and then sweetness and savouriness from the sauce, cabbage and potato. The pork is kind of nutty, because it’s glazed in sesame oil.”

This specific oil’s special, and just one of the tricks Choi’s bringing to Milan. “My partner’s Korean and she brought me back this freshly roasted sesame oil from her town. You get older generations doing their own freshly pressed stuff – [when I first opened it] I was like, this smells unbelievable.”

While a dish can’t change significantly between rounds, it can be refined and tweaked – with guidance from mentors – just as would happen in a restaurant. Choi’s turning his attention to his kimchi.

“I said to myself that I’d do it if I won,” he says, of making his own gochujang for the classic banchan. “It’s something a bit different to everybody else. It’s a very interesting process – it’s not something that will happen overnight. You have to age it in an onggi, a massive clay pot, and just leave in the sun to really slowly ferment. Like, if it rains for 12 days in a row, nothing’s going to happen.”

The timing is an art form – under- or over-fermented kimchi won’t cut it in Milan. “It’s a massive timeline to be working with, but it keeps you in tune with the competition itself. You know, it’s in your brain and you’re always thinking about it and you’re also visualising what it’s going to be like on the day.”

There are just two months till the chefs descend on Milan, for a prep day and market trip, the competition, an all-out celebration and finale. Choi will have 15 minutes to present his dish to the yet-to-be-announced global jury: seven esteemed chefs who’ll also observe while the chefs compete. Once time’s up, they’ll be judged on the Golden Rules: technical skills, creativity and personal belief.

“I really wanted this dish to be a reflection on if you’re ever struggling with identity growing up, especially moving to a different culture, that it’s not always difficult. You can always make a positive out of it.”

KyongHo “Daniel” Choi, the Pacific champion in 2024’s S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition, will compete in the world championship, in Milan, in October 2025.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with S.Pellegrino.