Théo Kopp, chef de partie at Ma Langue Sourit, the two-Michelin-starred restaurant of Cyril Molard in Moutfort, is heading to Milan with his mentor for the final of the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy.
It’s the start of the third and final round. The chef de partie from the double-starred restaurant Ma Langue Sourit will take part in the world-renowned gastronomic competition from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 October 2025 in Milan, accompanied by his mentor, Chef Cyril Molard. This will mark the concluding stage of the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, an international culinary challenge that, after two rounds of selection, brings together fifteen chefs from across the globe.
Potée Lorraine, Picon and Mirabelle
Théo Kopp will represent the “Western Europe” region. On Tuesday morning, precisely at 6 a.m., he will be the first to open the competition. He will then have five hours to complete and present ten plates of his dish, validated and revalidated since November 2024.
Originally from Metz, Kopp chose to highlight his local roots and the flavours of his childhood memories. His dish was initially presented under a longer title: “Potée lorraine: chosen cut of pork, kimchi cabbage mille-feuille, mirabelle and pig’s ear, with a reduced Picon-mirabelle pork jus.” Meanwhile he has decided to shorten its name to “Potée lorraine, Picon et mirabelle.”
Perfecting the Details
“I don’t have much room for manoeuvre,” said Théo Kopp after his qualification on 19 November 2024 at the Park Hotel Vitznau in Switzerland. “We’re going to fine-tune the details.”
And so it has been done. The details have now been perfected.
Since September, he has trained six times on Sundays in the kitchens of Moutfort to finalise his dish. “Everything is under control – the details, the technique, even the timing. Still, I’ve left myself a bit of leeway in case something goes wrong,” explains the former engineer, who credits his former background for instilling him with precision and discipline.
“With my cabinetmaker, we’ve prepared beautiful wooden serving trays. The recipe itself was already mastered – we just needed to work on the presentation,” adds Cyril Molard.
“The Best Version of Myself”
“This competition highlights not only the dishes but also the personality of those who create them. It’s about presenting them and explaining why you’ve chosen to work on them – and in that respect, Théo excels too! Everything is in English, and he handles it very well,” notes the Michelin-starred chef.
“For Tuesday, I need to be the best version of myself – mentally and physically,” explains the contestant. That’s why, over the past two months, the 29-year-old chef has been preparing physically by exercising regularly.
His First Competition
The competitors he’s keeping an eye on? “None in particular, and all at once. But the South African candidate is presenting a duck-based dish with a look that really caught my eye – I thought it was a beautiful idea. Then there’s the Latin American contestant, who has an interesting background and personality, and of course the candidate from the Nordic countries, who has worked in some top restaurants and comes from a culture of competitions, so he’s really well prepared for it,” says Kopp, who is taking part in his first-ever contest.
Gaining Recognition
The results of this international competition will be announced on Wednesday, 29 October. What’s the prize? Unlike other contests, where the winner takes home a small sum of money, here not a single cent is at stake. It’s all about earning recognition and experience. The previous winner had the opportunity to work for a month at Central in Lima, voted the World’s Best Restaurant in 2023 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
“If I win, that recognition could help me one day when I decide to open my own restaurant,” muses Théo Kopp. “But that’s not for now – I’m not even 30 yet, and I’m very happy where I am,” he says with a smile.
Avanti!
Photo KACHEN @Marc Dostert: Théo Kopp in the kitchens of Ma Langue Sourit, 21 October 2025.
