Seven talented culinary students fired up their creativity for the chance of a lifetime: a week-long culinary apprenticeship in Japan!

The challenge was simple in concept, but far from easy in execution: showcase innovation, technical mastery, and cross-cultural creativity using Kikkoman® Soy Sauce (Original, Less Sodium, or Tamari) as the central seasoning in a globally inspired entrée.

Watch the full highlight reel to see the intense kitchen action, master-level knife skills, and the winning dishes that wowed our panel of judges!

The 2024 Kikkoman Student Innovation Challenge held at the Culinary Institute of America’s Hyde Park campus

Seven student chefs, endless inspiration

The challenge was simple, but far from easy: show us your innovation, knowledge and creativity using Kikkoman® Soy Sauce (Original, Less-Sodium, or Tamari) as the central seasoning in a globally inspired entrée.  

And the stakes were high. One grand-prize winner would be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime culinary adventure: a trip to Japan for a seven-day apprenticeship at the three-Michelin-starred Kikunoi Restaurant in Tokyo, as well culinary and cultural immersion tours of markets, historic sites and more. 

With a prize like that, we knew we’d get lots of participants. To identify our finalists, we asked each applicant to submit a 60-second video describing their creation. From those entries, seven outstanding finalists were chosen to bring their dishes to life at a cookoff at the CIA’s Hyde Park, New York campus.