{"id":3943,"date":"2025-06-13T16:17:29","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T16:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kikkomanusa.com\/foodservice\/?page_id=3943"},"modified":"2025-09-11T12:32:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T12:32:09","slug":"student-innovation-challenge-2025","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kikkomanusa.com\/foodservice\/student-innovation-challenge-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kikkoman Student Innovation Challenge: Year Two"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Kikkoman Student Innovation Challenge:
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Nine talented students fired up their creativity for the chance to win a culinary apprenticeship in Japan.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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For the second year in a row, we sponsored the Kikkoman Student Innovation Challenge in collaboration with the nation\u2019s leading training ground for chefs, the Culinary Institute of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Student chefs, endless inspiration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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The challenge was simple\u2014though far from easy: showcase your innovation, knowledge, and creativity using Kikkoman\u00ae Soy Sauce<\/a> (Original, Less Sodium, and\/or Gluten-Free Tamari) as the central seasoning in a globally inspired entr\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stakes were high: one grand-prize winner would receive a once-in-a-lifetime culinary adventure\u2014a trip to Japan for a seven-day apprenticeship at the three-Michelin-starred Kikunoi Restaurant in Kyoto, along with immersive culinary and cultural tours of local markets, historic sites, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To narrow the field, CIA students were invited to submit a 60-second video describing their dish. From 35 entries, nine outstanding finalists were selected to bring their creations to life during a live cookoff at the CIA\u2019s Hyde Park, New York campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Feast of Creativity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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On March 29, 2025, after a month of perfecting their recipes and techniques under the guidance of CIA chef-instructors, the finalists gathered in the kitchen for the big event. They had two hours to prepare every element of their dish, plus 15 minutes for plating and service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each student presented their finished dish and shared the inspiration behind it with a panel of judges that included Mr. Masanao Shimada, President and CEO of Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc. (KSU); Mr. Takashi Hirota, KSU Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer; KSU Corporate Chef and CIA graduate Andrew Hunter; and CIA Chef George Shannon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter last year\u2019s outstanding contest, we weren\u2019t surprised by creativity of these student chefs,\u201d said Hirota. \u201cBut once again, we were amazed, inspired and delighted by the unexpected ways they incorporated our soy sauce into their dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chef Hunter agreed. \u201cChoosing a winner was challenging,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause all of the finalists brought so much heart, soul, and inventive thinking to the plate. And we loved how they incorporated the flavors and ingredients of their own cultures, countries, and families to their dishes. There\u2019s no better confirmation that Kikkoman\u00ae Soy Sauce will have a central place in the future of global cuisine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GRAND PRIZE WINNER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Chanhee Lee \u201cA Modernized Yakiniku\u201d <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n

The Grand Prize was awarded to Chanhee Lee, a culinary student from a small town near Seoul, South Korea. His winning dish, A Modernized Yakiniku, showcased tender slices of beef tongue, slowly cooked confit-style in charcoal-infused butter, then glazed with a Kikkoman\u00ae Tamari Soy Sauce<\/a>\u2013based tare sauce and finished with a delicate mirin-sake sabayon. The plate was artfully composed with a cremini mushroom featuring a trompe-l\u2019\u0153il tofu stem, set atop a bed of tare-simmered daikon and shiitake mushroom crumble \u201csoil.\u201d Additional elements included asparagus steamed with Kikkoman\u00ae Less Sodium Soy Sauce<\/a>, pickled pearl onions, and a wasabi\u2013sour cream sauce made with Kikkoman\u00ae Wasabi Sauce<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith so many components, the hardest part was achieving balance among all the ingredients and flavors,\u201d said Chanhee. \u201cBeef tongue can be fatty, so I balanced that with the acidity of the pickled onions and wasabi sour cream helped with that. The soy sauce also helps tie all the flavors together.\u201d<\/p>\n

VIEW RECIPE<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n