“L’Artusi senza confini” announces its winner.

Yesterday Casa Artusi in Forlimpopoli (FC) hosted the grand final of “L’Artusi senza confini”, the contest promoted by Surgital in collaboration with Casa Artusi and Italian Gourmet, whose magazine Grande Cucina acted as official media partner. The competition was open to foreign-born chefs and pastry chefs under 35 who live and work in Italy. Each contestant was asked to design and prepare an original fresh-pasta dish inspired by a recipe from Pellegrino Artusi’s timeless cookbook “La Scienza in cucina e l’Arte di mangiar bene”.

The eight highest-scoring chefs from all over the globe reached the final and faced a live-cooking showdown before an expert jury chaired by chef Luca Marchini, patron of restaurant L’Erba del Re in Modena, and composed of Andrea Gianotti (University of Bologna), food writer Martina Liverani, Elena Bacchini and Andrea Bino (Surgital), Chiara Galbiati (Casa Artusi), Surgital chef Fabio Lorenzoni and Casa Artusi chef ⁠⁠Matteo Milandri. Their task was to elevate a fresh-pasta shape by Surgital.

The panel crowned British chef Charles Joshua Pearce with his dish “Fusilloni, bread, oxidised citrus”. The creation impressed for its sustainable spin on an Artusian idea, up-cycling bread while marrying English tradition with Italian flavours. Born in Greenwich in 1992, Pearce honed his craft in the UK and Spain before settling in Italy, where he fine-tuned his gourmet style at Identità Golose Milano and Michelin-starred Ristorante Lino. He is now Executive Chef at Nordelaia Resort & Restaurants.

Second place went to Moroccan chef Nour El Hayat Maaffer with “Cappelletti, beef jus, lemon and asparagus”, a dish that evokes Italian classics like brasato and ossobuco, brightened with sweet-and-tangy notes while showcasing her homeland’s cooking techniques and deft spice use.

Originally from Casablanca, Maaffer moved to Italy as a child. After culinary school she built a versatile skill set—from fish to antipasti, desserts and sauces—garnering awards for her creativity. She is currently sous-chef at Ceresio 7 alongside Elio Sironi.

Pastry chef Mina Karimi from Iran claimed third with “Intreccio Iraniano – Pich-o-Tāb-e Irāni”, where deceptively simple tagliatelle revealed the captivating aromas of Iran. After time in Dublin, Karimi returned to Italy’s fine-dining scene, working with Heinz Beck, Claudio Sadler, Carlo Cracco and Roberto Conti, then becoming pastry chef at renowned Japanese restaurant Nobuya. Her largely plant-based, imaginative pastry intrigues with unusual ingredients and bold pairings.

The top three chefs will appear as guest chefs at Casa Artusi’s restaurant during the 29th Festa Artusiana next June, while Pearce will enjoy a one-to-one fresh-pasta course at Milan’s Congusto Institute. All finalists’ dishes will feature in a digital cookbook on italiangourmet.it.