#145 Robin Wagner | Pacific Region S.Pellegrino Young Chef Winner

Josh Niland described the dish Robin Wagner presented at the S. Pellegrino Young Chef competition as, “the best dish” he had tasted this year. Another judge wanted to lick the plate clean. The dish was simply called “Smoked Celeriac with Granny Smith Apple and Crispy Taro,” and it won him the Regional Finalist title. And when they say regional, they mean the Pacific region. Next year Robin will fly to Milan to join the finalists from other regions around the world competing for the overall award for 2022-23. Robin started his cooking career in Germany, working in fine-dining Michelin restaurants (Restaurant Vendôme and Villa Merton) before moving to Australia and working at Sydney’s Sepia and Daylesford’s Lake House before calling South Australia home and working as sous chef to Scott Huggins at Penfold’s Magill Estate just out of Adelaide. Robin is, of course, honoured to have been chosen for the award, but he also got so much out meeting and being part of the community of chefs the competition creates.