TOKYO, Japan, November 17, 2016-The Washoku World Challenge Executive Committee revealed on October 31 the final contestants for this year's Washoku World Challenge 2016, an event where chefs from all over the world compete by cooking Japanese dishes.

The 23 dishes entered by the 20 candidates who passed the initial screening were recreated by local chefs according to the recipes and judged on elements such as their understanding of washoku techniques, taste, appearance, originality, and viability in their home countries. From those 20 candidates, ten have been selected to compete in the final round. This year's finalists will gather in Tokyo on Thursday, December 15, where they will compete in the final cook-off. The award ceremony will be held on the same day, right after the competition has concluded.

Final Round & Award Ceremony

Venue: Hattori Nutrition College, 5-25-4 Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo 151-0051 Japan

Schedule: 11:00: Cooking starts, 13:00 Jury decision, 16:30 Unveiling results, award ceremony, 17:00 Lecture, workshop starts

These are the contestants competing in the final round:

Name

Profile

Nationality

Dish

Bryan S. Emperor

48 years old, male Five Gold Inc.  Chef consultant

United States of America

King Salmon Ishiyaki with Winter Vegetables and Miso Butter

Cheong Cherng Long

31 years old, male Oribe Sushi Restaurant  Chef Assistant

Malaysia

Akamutsu no kenchin yaki

Joe Kimura

30 years old, male Oiran Madhus  Head Chef and Owner

Scotland (works in Denmark)

"Saba no misoni" with apple, ginger, and winter vegetable

Josh DeChellis

43 years old, male Il Buco Alimentari  Executive Chef

United States of America

Boiled Daikon with Winter Yellowtail

Meegama Gurunnaselage Don Malith Wejikoon

31 years old, male

Ikoi Tei/Hilton Colombo  Japanese Demi Chef de Partie

Sri Lanka

Break me and eat! Kimpira in potato

Neo Guo Qing

34 years old, male

Fat Cow Restaurant  Sous-chef

Singapore

Kan Buri Tataki To Fuyu Irizake

Pircu Ionut

26 years old, male

Tokyo Japanese Restaurant  Kitchen S. Head Chef

Romania

Sake Saikioyaki with Nasu Dengaku, Enoki mushrooms and Apple & mustard Vinaigrette

Shaun Presland

45 years old, male

Kisume  Executive Chef

Australia

Kinpira Chicken with Balsamic Teriyaki

Songkran Comnew

35 years old, male

Osaka Style Restaurant: Nananohana  Chef

Thailand

"Lotus root chrysanthemum flower bun" (in thick seaweed sauce)

Tsai Ming Gu

41 years old, male

Senwa Cuisine  Executive Chef

Taiwan(Works in China)

Japanese mini-eggplant and turban shell in spicy yuzukosho cream

The Washoku World Challenge, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and planned by the Washoku World Challenge Executive Committee, is a Japanese cuisine competition that seeks to discover the best practitioners of washoku around the world and promote the global spread of this fine culinary culture.

After the award ceremony, a workshop seminar will be held by Japanese food producers to explain about the qualities and applications of Japanese foodstuffs, and all will have the opportunity to meet, dine, and interact with top chef from the finest Japanese restaurant.

The finalists'travel and accommodation expenses are accounted for. In the final round the entry dishes will be prepared by the contestants themselves and will be judged on their level of completion. The theme for this year's final round will be Ichiju Issai ("one soup one side"), a core concept of Japanese cuisine. The ten finalists will make their entry recipe as well as an assigned dish in their quest to be the World Washoku Challenge 2016 winner.

The finalists'profiles can be viewed at the following URL:

URL: http://washoku-worldchallenge.jp/2016/