The competition for young talents in gastronomy

marmite youngster is the competition for young talents in gastronomy in Switzerland.

Since 2011, marmite has been pursuing the goal with youngster of promoting ambitious professionals in gastronomy under 30. In the four categories of Cuisine, Pâtisserie, Sommellerie and Service, top-class expert juries select five finalists each according to the strictest criteria, who compete against each other on the public final day.

The winners will be announced at the Award Night in November.

Many former participants are now highly acclaimed chefs and an integral part of the marmite community.

The theme of the competition

All participants and everyone from the marmite youngster community can be excited to see to a culinary spectacle this year with the competition theme of 2025: „Classic into the future“. We are totally looking forward to see how the participants of the marmite youngster 2025 will interpret classicism, how they combine traditional things with new alternatives.

The process

The Jury

The Jury of the four categories consist of well-known names from the Swiss Gastronomy – just right for a competition of young talents.

For the category of Cuisine and Pâtisserie, for example, we are talking about Antonio Colaianni from Ornellaia (1/16GM), Patrick Mahler from Focus in the Hotel Park Vitznau (2/18GM) or Michèle Meier from the Lucide restaurant in Lucerne (16GM). In the Service and Sommellerie categories, the Jury consists of different hosts and hostesses such as Oliver Friedrich from the Alter Torkel Restaurant, the Sommelier Luisa Minikus, the 2019 Sommellerie World Champion Marc Almert and Aurélien Blanc, the President of the Sommelier Association of the German-speaking part in Switzerland.

The Get-together

In July, the Top 10 of each category will get invited to join the big marmite Get-together. A great festival in the summer where the marmite youngster community meets each other in a relaxing ambience. Former youngsters, Jury members and other well-known community members from the gastronomy will be there for a cozy get-together with food and drinks.

The Final Day

The mamite youngster final in September is open to the public. The final inspires participants, sponsors and the entire gastronomy scene. The finalists in the cuisine and patisserie categories compete against each other in a show kitchen. The final of the Service and Sommellerie categories will take place in a stylish restaurant setting. This day is also all about the community. Big names from the industry mingle with colleagues and fans of the participants and enjoy the unique atmosphere of this special day.

The Award Night

At the marmite youngster Award Night, the winners of the four categories are announced in a festive gala setting. This special gala evening is also a great opportunity for the entire marmite youngster community to get together and is a popular event within the Swiss gastronomy scene.

The Moderation

All marmite youngster events are accompanied by the moderation duo Rainer Maria Salzgeber and his daughter Cloé. With plenty of humor and charm, they mingle with the finalists on the final day. At the get-together and on the Award Night, they gallantly guide the guests through the entire evening.

The marmite youngster community

Anyone who took part in the youngster automatically becomes part of the large marmite youngster family. Within this constantly growing network of gastronomy professionals, regular exchange and mutual support are simply part of it. Promotion that proves its worth: Sven Wassmer, for example, developed from a youngster participant in 2013 to a three-star chef. Maximilian Müller won the marmite youngster 2018 in the cuisine category and recently took over the management of Restaurant Pavillon as the successor to youngster judge Laurent Eperon. And many more joined – and the marmite youngsters continue to make a name for themselves.