A young woman from Azerbaijan won gold in a culinary competition among chefs from 60 countries on Sunday.
But the trophy means much more to Leyla Valiyeva than just a valued showpiece on her shelf.
It will, she hopes, inspire young girls back home to become chefs and join an industry that is still male-dominated.
“I hope this will inspire many young girls wanting to be chefs to come forward. We live in a changing world and there are many opportunities for us to develop professionally. There are a lot more doors open for us now than earlier,” said Valiyeva, 22.
The 10th International IIHM Young Chef Olympiad came to a close on Sunday after seven days of intense competition, bonhomie and networking among young chefs.
Organised by the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and hosted by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), the competition saw Valiyeva lifting the gold trophy.
The silver was shared by Clifford Jeff Cadunggo Unabia of the Philippines and Kamal Thapa of Nepal. Italy’s Francesco Orsi finished third and won bronze.
A student of CASA Culinary Arts Center of Azerbaijan, Valiyeva has been interested in cooking since she was a little girl.
She would always be in the kitchen since she was four or five years old and at 11 or 12, she started cooking.
“After that it never stopped.... There are many such little girls out there. Now that I have won the award, I feel it is my duty to inspire and guide young girls into the profession,” she said.
Valiyeva’s family supported her to pursue her passion.
“You need support from the people surrounding you but believing in yourself is the key,” she told The Telegraph.
“People are more accepting of women taking up cooking as a hobby but not as a career. Women have responsibilities as mothers or wives and are expected to be there to greet the children or husband when they return home,” she said.
During her seven-day stay in India, Valiyeva enjoyed biryani, naan and alu gobi.
For the competition, she made green herb chicken roulade, mixed vegetables, eggplant roll and basmati rice cake, among other dishes.
Valiyeva likes to experiment with vegetarian and vegan food.
Her mentor Kelvin Chong, the director of her culinary arts centre, said: “The spices and herbs that we use in Azerbaijan are similar to ones used in India. We use basmati rice in our food, which we import from India.”
Biryani, he said, is similar to plov, also a dish of rice and meat.
Pursuing a career is one thing, excelling is another. “Success depends on the woman because she has to value her professional career as well,” Valiyeva said.
“If a woman is passionate about what she wants to do, people around her will change and accept her decision,” Valiyeva said with conviction that defies her age.
“The first step is to believe in yourself and put in the hard work. My victory is real-time proof of how the mindset is shifting and girls are making it happen,” she said.
Azerbaijan is making its presence felt in the culinary competition over the past few years.
Last year, the gold trophy was lifted by a boy from Azerbaijan.
“When this winner (Valiyeva) goes back to her country, she will inspire a generation of girls to join the hospitality industry. Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) is not just a competition. It aims to create a lasting impact,” said Suborno Bose, chief mentor and chairman, IIHM and CEO, IHC.
“Gender equality is one of the objectives of YCO and we are glad that a woman has won after six years,” he said.