​​Pune hosted the first round of 4th Edition of Young Chef Olympiad, the world’s largest culinary competition, on Tuesday. The international cooking competition, which features over 55 countries competing for the coveted YCO trophy and a cash prize of $10,000. ​

The first round, which was held at International Institute of Hotel Management, Pune, featured 10 of the 55 countries, cooking as per recipe provided in 2 hours .YCO was created as a platform by noted hospitality school, IIHM, for young chefs-in-training from around the world to interact and showcase their talent. The previous three editions saw an increasingly positive response from the international hospitality community, making the event benchmark for the industry across the world.

YCO also hosted an unique International Culinary Forum at The Westin, Pune featuring eminent chefs, mentors and other personalities from across the world and the city. The forum featured two panel discussions, engaging in discourse about the various issues of the industry and potential solutions.