Tunisian Young Chef Maram Rezgui Wins Second Place in International Cooking Competition

Maram Rezgui, a 22-year-old Tunisian chef from the Ezzouhour Professional Training and Learning Center, has secured the second spot in the international young chefs' competition "Younes Ahmed Zianov" held in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, as part of the Kazan International Forum 2026.

The competition brought together candidates from 13 countries in the Islamic world. The first place was awarded to Egyptian candidate Abdelrahman Mohsen.

Maram Rezgui was selected to represent Tunisia after winning the national cooking competition "Coupe des chefs," which gathered young chefs from public and private vocational training centers across the country.

This edition of the competition stood out for its adoption of the "black box" system, where participants discover the ingredients of the dishes only a few minutes before the start of the challenge. This format aims to evaluate their ability to adapt, creativity, and pressure management.

The competition began on Thursday with the participation of representatives from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, and Morocco. The challenges continued on Friday with the candidates from Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Egypt, Senegal, Turkmenistan, and Russia.

The organizers highlighted that this event has become a cultural and professional exchange space for young chefs, promoting national cuisines and strengthening "soft diplomacy" through culinary arts.

Zoufar Gaïazov, president of the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of the Republic of Tatarstan, stated that the competition is experiencing increasing international participation, estimating that the involvement of countries from the Islamic world and Asia reflects the importance of cultural and popular dialogue in the current international context.

The event's program also included tasting sessions of specialties inspired by Tunisian, Turkish, Malaysian, Lebanese, and Uzbek cuisines, prepared by Kazan restaurants using traditional recipes presented by the participants.