Kazan Crowns the Winner of the Yunus Akhmetzyanov International Young Chefs' Tournament
Kazan Crowns the Winner of the Yunus Akhmetzyanov International Young Chefs' Tournament
16 May
The third Yunus Akhmetzyanov International Young Chefs' Tournament took place in Kazan from 13 to 15 May, held as part of the 17th International Economic Forum "Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum". The competition brought together young chefs aged 16 to 25 from 16 countries: Russia, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Qatar, Senegal, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, as well as Turkmenistan and Jordan, both of which joined the tournament for the first time.
This year's standout feature was the "black box" format: contestants were handed a set of ingredients moments before the start, with no prior knowledge of what they would be working with. The approach allowed them to showcase their professional skills, speed of decision-making, and ability to perform under tight time constraints.
Zufar Gayazov, President of the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Kazan and Tatarstan, stressed that the tournament had become a platform for strengthening international ties and advancing gastronomic diplomacy. "We want to co-operate, to help one another, and to develop our culinary arts, our gastronomy, and our cultural code. Kazan and Russia are open to this dialogue," he noted. Gayazov also spoke of a new tournament tradition — a parade of participants carrying the flags of their home countries through the central streets of Kazan. "It was a day of solidarity among all culinary cultures. We represented our countries with dignity, shared our history, and paid tribute to the memory of the Tatar poet Musa Jalil," he said.
Marat Gatin, Aide to the Rais of Tatarstan, in turn described the participants as gastronomic diplomats. "You are diplomats in the field of gastronomy. You are doing a great deal to connect the cultures of different peoples and to build bridges between them. You will leave here with a piece of Tatarstan, of Kazan, of Russia, and you will go on to tell others just how wonderful it was here," he told the contestants.
Over the course of two days, guests of the Tournament were able to watch the young chefs at work and to sample the cuisines of the Islamic world in a bento-box format. Kazan restaurants prepared dishes based on the participants' authentic recipes. The festival programme featured the cuisines of Tatarstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Tunisia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Lebanon.
Mikhail Sharipov, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Kazan and Tatarstan, noted the tournament's international significance. "This is a great celebration of international friendship. A standard of delivery this high is made possible by a huge number of people. First and foremost, through the support of the Rais of our Republic, who entrusts us with delivering such large-scale and experimental projects. And, of course, this level would have been impossible without the Academy of Youth Diplomacy — it was they who helped coordinate the international participants," he said.
The Tournament's Grand Prix was awarded to Edris Abdelrahman Mohsen Abdo Khalil of Egypt. Winners were also named in a series of special categories: "Fundamental Knowledge" — Turkmenistan; "Preserving Traditions" — Kazakhstan; "Social Responsibility" — Turkey; "Locality on Trend" — Jordan; "Design as a Medium of Communication" — Uzbekistan; "Technologies of the Future" — Tunisia; "A Gaze Without Borders" — Morocco; "Culinary Art in Culinary Traditions" — Malaysia; "Creativity and Innovation" — Azerbaijan; "Best Presentation" — Russia; "The Taste of Memory" — Senegal; "Golden Technology" — Indonesia; "Gastronomic Étude" — Egypt.
A day earlier, the Tournament hosted the awards ceremony for the Junior League — a competition for aspiring chefs from Russian regions. The Grand Prix was won by the team from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University's Graduate School of Biotechnology and Food Science.
The Tournament was organised by the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of the Republic of Tatarstan together with the Academy of Youth Diplomacy, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Strategic Vision Group "Russia – Islamic World".
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The International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum” is being held in Kazan from 12 to 17 May 2026. In accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Forum acquired federal status in 2023, becoming the main platform for interaction between Russia and the Islamic world.
Representatives from 103 countries have registered for KazanForum 2026.
The Forum’s 2026 business programme includes 149 events across 21 tracks. Several international exhibitions will be held as part of the Forum: The International Exhibition of Co-operation between Russia and the Islamic World, the “Innovations. Investment. Infrastructure” Exhibition, the International Real Estate Exhibition and Conference, and the Kazan Halal Market Trade Fair. The agenda also includes: the Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of OIC Countries, the Forum of Young Diplomats, the Forum of Young Entrepreneurs, meetings of intergovernmental commissions and bilateral conferences, festivals, gastronomic and sports projects, including the “Business on Horseback” horse race and the International Jockeys’ Championship.
In 2026, Kazan holds the status of Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. Cultural co‑operation will be one of the key themes of the humanitarian agenda – during the Forum, the Congress of Ministers of Culture of OIC Countries and the 15th Session of the ICESCO General Conference will be held. The programme will conclude with the “Izge Bolgar Zhyeni” gathering in Bolgar, dedicated to the Day of the Official Adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria.
The full programme of the Event is available on the Forum’s official website.
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO “Directorate for Sports and Social Projects” serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
This year's standout feature was the "black box" format: contestants were handed a set of ingredients moments before the start, with no prior knowledge of what they would be working with. The approach allowed them to showcase their professional skills, speed of decision-making, and ability to perform under tight time constraints.
Zufar Gayazov, President of the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Kazan and Tatarstan, stressed that the tournament had become a platform for strengthening international ties and advancing gastronomic diplomacy. "We want to co-operate, to help one another, and to develop our culinary arts, our gastronomy, and our cultural code. Kazan and Russia are open to this dialogue," he noted. Gayazov also spoke of a new tournament tradition — a parade of participants carrying the flags of their home countries through the central streets of Kazan. "It was a day of solidarity among all culinary cultures. We represented our countries with dignity, shared our history, and paid tribute to the memory of the Tatar poet Musa Jalil," he said.
Marat Gatin, Aide to the Rais of Tatarstan, in turn described the participants as gastronomic diplomats. "You are diplomats in the field of gastronomy. You are doing a great deal to connect the cultures of different peoples and to build bridges between them. You will leave here with a piece of Tatarstan, of Kazan, of Russia, and you will go on to tell others just how wonderful it was here," he told the contestants.
Over the course of two days, guests of the Tournament were able to watch the young chefs at work and to sample the cuisines of the Islamic world in a bento-box format. Kazan restaurants prepared dishes based on the participants' authentic recipes. The festival programme featured the cuisines of Tatarstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Tunisia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Lebanon.
Mikhail Sharipov, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Kazan and Tatarstan, noted the tournament's international significance. "This is a great celebration of international friendship. A standard of delivery this high is made possible by a huge number of people. First and foremost, through the support of the Rais of our Republic, who entrusts us with delivering such large-scale and experimental projects. And, of course, this level would have been impossible without the Academy of Youth Diplomacy — it was they who helped coordinate the international participants," he said.
The Tournament's Grand Prix was awarded to Edris Abdelrahman Mohsen Abdo Khalil of Egypt. Winners were also named in a series of special categories: "Fundamental Knowledge" — Turkmenistan; "Preserving Traditions" — Kazakhstan; "Social Responsibility" — Turkey; "Locality on Trend" — Jordan; "Design as a Medium of Communication" — Uzbekistan; "Technologies of the Future" — Tunisia; "A Gaze Without Borders" — Morocco; "Culinary Art in Culinary Traditions" — Malaysia; "Creativity and Innovation" — Azerbaijan; "Best Presentation" — Russia; "The Taste of Memory" — Senegal; "Golden Technology" — Indonesia; "Gastronomic Étude" — Egypt.
A day earlier, the Tournament hosted the awards ceremony for the Junior League — a competition for aspiring chefs from Russian regions. The Grand Prix was won by the team from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University's Graduate School of Biotechnology and Food Science.
The Tournament was organised by the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of the Republic of Tatarstan together with the Academy of Youth Diplomacy, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Strategic Vision Group "Russia – Islamic World".
*****
The International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum” is being held in Kazan from 12 to 17 May 2026. In accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Forum acquired federal status in 2023, becoming the main platform for interaction between Russia and the Islamic world.
Representatives from 103 countries have registered for KazanForum 2026.
The Forum’s 2026 business programme includes 149 events across 21 tracks. Several international exhibitions will be held as part of the Forum: The International Exhibition of Co-operation between Russia and the Islamic World, the “Innovations. Investment. Infrastructure” Exhibition, the International Real Estate Exhibition and Conference, and the Kazan Halal Market Trade Fair. The agenda also includes: the Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of OIC Countries, the Forum of Young Diplomats, the Forum of Young Entrepreneurs, meetings of intergovernmental commissions and bilateral conferences, festivals, gastronomic and sports projects, including the “Business on Horseback” horse race and the International Jockeys’ Championship.
In 2026, Kazan holds the status of Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. Cultural co‑operation will be one of the key themes of the humanitarian agenda – during the Forum, the Congress of Ministers of Culture of OIC Countries and the 15th Session of the ICESCO General Conference will be held. The programme will conclude with the “Izge Bolgar Zhyeni” gathering in Bolgar, dedicated to the Day of the Official Adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria.
The full programme of the Event is available on the Forum’s official website.
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO “Directorate for Sports and Social Projects” serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
