The final round of the "CHEF-1 Grand Prix 2026" (ABC TV/TV Asahi), a competition to discover the next generation of star chefs, aired on April 26th, and Chef Yohei Hanada of the Chinese restaurant "atelier HANADA" in Osaka Prefecture was crowned the 5th champion. This is the first time in the history of the competition that a Chinese cuisine chef has won.
The "CHEF-1 Grand Prix" is a cooking contest with a grand prize of 10 million yen, open to anyone under 40 years old. Entries were accepted in one of the following categories: "French, Italian, Spanish," "Chinese, Asian Cuisine," or "Food Creator, Genre-less, Other."
In the final round, Chef Hanada won the survival round, "Create a new standard for ramen!", and advanced to the final showdown, "Create a new standard for hot pot!". He defeated Chef Yasushi Yamashita (Fukuoka Prefecture, Genreless), a formidable opponent with four previous appearances in the finals, in a "last year showdown," winning the 10 million yen prize money and the champion chef's coat.
Chef Hanada commented, "I'm genuinely happy. It was an honor to compete against my idol, Yamashita-san, in my third challenge and my final year, putting everything on the line. This is just the beginning. I will use this as an opportunity to work hard to further energize the entire country, starting from Osaka."
