OSAKA ¨C The lights flashed, the music swelled and glittering confetti streamed down onto a stage filled with culinary luminaries. It was the moment of truth, the denouement of an intense, year-long and worldwide competition. And there in the spotlight, receiving the winner¡¯s trophy as S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 was Yasuhiro Fujio.
That May night in Milan, the 30-year-old Osaka native appeared stunned. And although he eventually managed to crack a smile for the cameras, he was unable to relax sufficiently afterwards to string more than a couple of tongue-tied words together in interviews. Three months later, he still seems equally astonished by his success, and barely more voluble.
¡°I was shocked,¡± he admits. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to win, and I didn¡¯t know how to react. Looking back, it seems a long time ago. Of course I was happy to win. But now I am back here and I have a job to do, in the kitchen.¡±
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