The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards has announced the 2022 edition of 50 Next – an unranked list of industry leaders changing the culinary landscape.
400 global figures working across gastronomy in production, education, hospitality, creative industries, tech, activism and science were considered, with the Basque Culinary Center selecting the top applicants.
Next was launched as an initiative to highlight the work of professionals under the age of 35 as well as those who are over 35 and have started a new career path.
The inaugural list saw Australian Chefs Matt Stone, Josh Niland, Jo Barrett and farmer and environmentalist Josh Gilbert make the cut, with three locals celebrated on this year’s edition at a live ceremony in Bilbao, Spain.
“… We are able to bring together this truly diverse group of young people and focus on nurturing talent and creating a platform for those fighting for a brighter future for gastronomy,” says William Drew, Director of Content for 50 Best.
“We have no doubt that both the class of 2021 and class of 2022 will continue to do tremendous work in their various fields and we look forward to following their projects for many years to come.”
Australians Nick Berry, Jessica Bogard and Gregory Constantine all made the list in the respective categories of ‘tech disruptors’ and ‘science innovators’, with Joxe Mari Aizrga giving credit to all the finalists.
“We want to celebrate this unifying view of gastronomy led by young people all over the world,” says the general manager of the Basque Culinary Center.
“Young talents like those we have shared today ensure that the gastronomic sector will continue to grow and become a tool for transformation. These profiles address professions that go beyond the kitchen, and that, from a 360-degree perspective of gastronomy, represent a sector that is continuously evolving.”
Full list below:
Empowering Educators
▪ Arielle Johnson, 35 – New York, USA
▪ Charles Michel, 36 – Bogotá, Colombia (from France)
▪ Chloé Charles, 35 – Paris, France
▪ Anusha Murthy, 30, and Elizabeth Yorke, 29 – Bangalore, India
▪ Yi Jun Loh, 29 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
▪ Vinesh Johny, 33 – Bangalore, India
Entrepreneurial Creatives
▪ Camila Fiol Stephens, 34 – Santiago, Chile
▪ Caroline Cotto, 29 – Oakland, USA
▪ Dinara Kasko, 33 – Kharkov City, Ukraine
▪ Juan Pablo Medina, 29 – Copenhagen, Denmark (from Colombia)
▪ Mariana da Silva Vasconcelos, 30 – Campinas, Brazil
▪ Oscar Ekponimo, 36 – Abuja, Nigeria
▪ Travinder Singh, 31 – Singapore
Gamechanging Producers
▪ Corrado Paternò Castello, 30 – Catania, Italy
▪ Dharath Hoonchamlong, 29 – Bangkok, Thailand
▪ Jessica Naomi Fong, 31 – Hong Kong
▪ Martin Texier, 32 – Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban, France
▪ Pol Contreras Vilapriñó, 36 – Ezcaray, Spain
▪ Rosanna Gahler, 25 – Alt Madlitz, Germany
▪ Yu Hsuan Cheng, 34 – Taipei
▪ Rahaf Allymoni, 29 – Amsterdam, Netherlands (from Syria)
Hospitality Pioneers
▪ Debora Fadul, 36 – Guatemala City, Guatemala
▪ Jackwing Yao, 31, Lola Liu, 30 and Tiger Liang, 27 – Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China
▪ Javier Rivero Yarza, 31 – Tolosa, Basque Country
▪ Michael Adé Elégbèdé, 32 – Lagos, Nigeria
▪ Mmabatho Molefe, 27 – Cape Town, South Africa
▪ Santiago Lastra, 32 – London, UK (from Mexico)
▪ Mette Brink Søberg, 32 – Copenhagen, Denmark
▪ Zineb Hattab, 32 – Zurich, Switzerland (from Spain and Morocco)
Science Innovators
▪ Asrar Damdam, 29 – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
▪ Eneko Axpe, 35 – San Francisco, USA (from Spain)
▪ Gregory Constantine, 33 – New York, USA (from Australia) and Stafford Sheehan, 33 – New York, USA
▪ Jessica Bogard, 34 – Brisbane, Australia
▪ Nidiya Kusmaya, 30 – Sukabumi, Indonesia
▪ Risha Jasmine Nathan, 34 – New Delhi, India
▪ Verleen Goh, 35 – Singapore
▪ Sara Marquart, 33 – Zurich, Switzerland (from Germany) and Maximilian Marquart, 36 – Munich, Germany
Tech Disruptors
▪ Daniella Kwayu, 31 – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
▪ Fengru Lin, 34 – Singapore
▪ Magdalena Jüngst, 29, and Tim Jäger, 30 – Munich, Germany
▪ Mustapha Diyaol-Haqq, 22 – Accra, Ghana
▪ Nick Berry, 34 – Kingscote, Australia
▪ Scott-William Braley, 34 – Le Havre, France
▪ Farah Emara, 31 – Giza, Egypt
Trailblazing Activists
▪ Alpha Sennon, 35 – Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago
▪ Nicola Kagoro, 33 – Harare, Zimbabwe (from USA)
▪ Nidhi Pant, 29 – Mumbai, India
▪ Zacarias González, 37 – New York, USA
▪ Jenny Dorsey, 31 – Los Angeles, USA