Ivan Barčot Represents Central Dalmatia at the European Young Chef Award

The European Young Chef Award event, held in Barcelona (Spain) from 24 to 28 November 2025, brought together some of the most promising young chefs from Europe’s Regions of Gastronomy, encouraging innovative and creative interpretations of traditional cuisine. As part of the event, organised by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT), Split-Dalmatia County was also represented in the competition by young chef Ivan Barčot.

Through his participation, Barčot was appointed the official ambassador of Central Dalmatia to IGCAT, opening up new opportunities for the international promotion of the region’s gastronomy and culinary heritage in cooperation with the Institute. His role as ambassador further strengthens collaboration with IGCAT and supports the visibility of local culinary traditions on the European stage.

The aims of the Award are to:

Promote innovations on traditional cuisine
Local food cultures are an important source of innovation. Traditions developed over centuries form the vital ‘DNA’ of food cultures and regional gastronomy as well as local knowledge is, therefore, an important potential source of innovative products and experiences.

Highlight sustainable food cultures
Sustainable local, regional and global food systems are important for all our futures. The Young Chef Award, therefore, aims to stimulate debate about sustainable food and gastronomy practices, production and consumption.

Create future ambassadors for local food products
Local food products are often unique to the territory from which they come. Likewise, regional culture creates a distinction that underlines the added value of local products. By giving visibility to emerging chefs that support local products, it is hoped to contribute to a more sustainable and better quality of food experiences.