Premiere of "Sölden is looking for the Gastro Supertalent"

Updated 03.03.2023

In times of a shortage of skilled workers, Sölden sends a strong signal for the appreciation of the tourism industry and the associated career opportunities. For this occasion, almost 50 tourism students from five European countries will meet at the summit of the Gaislachkogl from 27 to 29 March 2023. The young talents from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Luxembourg will gather in Austria's highest-altitude gourmet restaurant for culinary challenges, take advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas and receive input from well-known names in the gastronomic scene such as top chefs Hans Neuner, Thomas Penz and food stylist Nils Jorra.

"Act" is the motto of the Destination Employer Branding working group, which was founded as part of the "Future Sölden" project. This includes, for example, getting the next generation excited about working in tourism. The premiere of the innovative competition format "Sölden is looking for the Gastro Supertalent" from 27 to 29 March should contribute to this. "Working in tourism is my vocation. That's why I'm committed to getting many more people excited about our profession and giving the next generation of gastronomers the best possible starting conditions," explains Angelika Falkner, hostess at Hotel Das Central and head of the Destination Employer Branding working group.

48 students from renowned training institutions such as the Swiss Hotel Management School in Lucerne, the Bergius School in Frankfurt, the Kaiserhof Hotel Management School in Merano and the Villa Blanka Innsbruck are invited to Ötztal to prove their skills and get new input. This will take place in the form of team challenges in the areas of cuisine, service and marketing, judged by expert judges. In addition, the young people are looking forward to meeting absolute top stars of the scene such as Hans Neuner (Chef of the Year in Portugal and protagonist in the TV show "Kitchen Impossible"), food stylist Nils Jorra or Thomas Penz (winner of "Junge Wilde 2022").

Competition at the highest level

Three teams of two will compete per school in the categories of cuisine, service and marketing. For example, the task is to conjure up a street food dish within one hour or to excel at tasting wines from the participating countries. The marketing teams will tackle the question of how to make Sölden the hottest place to work and record what their colleagues are doing on site for the social media world. To help them prepare, the participants will receive some basic information about the tasks and conditions on site. The secrets of the "mystery boxes", which reveal which Ötztal products have to be used in the kitchen, will only be revealed on the day before the contest. "I am looking forward to the fact that we can convey the special features of the Ötztal and its regional products to young European talents on this occasion," says Raphael Kuen, Lebensraum Ötztal Manager.

Information and pictures: All info can be found HERE and a collection of pictures can be found HERE.The use of our pictures is free of charge for the promotion of the Ötztal. Copyright and photographer must be mentioned by name!