S.Pellegrino Young Chef is quickly emerging as one of the world's most-anticipated global culinary competitions, and Thailand's two contestants to make it through to the regional semi-finals have just been announced. 

Actually, just one of the chefs is Thai, but S.Pellegrino Young Chef takes its contestants from 21 regions around the world depending on the restaurant, rather than the nationality of the chef. 

Chef Ployumporn Ar-Yucharoen is the only female chef to make the regional semi-finals, and comes from La Scala Italian restaurant at The Sukhothai hotel, where she works as a line cook. 

Thailand's second semi-finalist, Jim Ophorst, is executive chef at Pru restaurant in Phuket's Trisara resort. This is the second time Ophorst has made the semi fnals after also making it through in 2016. 

After visiting Pru earlier this year, BK said, "Ophorst works with local producers like the neighboring goat farm and even goes foraging himself to create dishes which are sweet, juicy and tender."

Through Dec 2017, the semi-finalists from each region of the world will attend local challenges before the Southeast Asia challenge in Singapore on Oct 23, 2017. 

The Southeast Asian winner will later join the other 20 winning chefs from other regions at Grand Finale in Jun 2018.