Japan's Largest Young Chef Competition 'RED U-35' Suspends 2026 Tournament

■ Announcement Page https://www.redu35.jp/progress/year2026/notice/ The RED U-35 Executive Committee (organized by the RED U-35 Executive Committee and Gurunavi, Inc.) has decided to suspend the 2026 tournament of "RED U-35" (RYORININ’s EMERGING DREAM U-35) (hereinafter referred to as RED U-35), a competition aimed at discovering and nurturing young chefs under 35 years old. This decision positions the suspension period as a "run-up period for a further leap" built upon the history thus far. The committee will work on reconstructing a system where chefs who pioneer the future of Japan's food culture can shine even brighter. ■ Background of the Tournament Suspension and Future Prospects Since its establishment in 2013, this tournament has produced many talented young chefs, bringing a fresh breeze to the culinary world. More than 10 years after its inception, amid dramatic changes in the environment surrounding food, we are temporarily suspending the tournament to make a fundamental update, in order to further solidify the project's significance and evolve it into a sustainable platform. ■ Activities of "CLUB RED" to Continue and Strengthen The activities of "CLUB RED," composed of young chefs who have achieved excellent past results (Bronze Egg and above), will continue and expand in the future. Through chef tours and other initiatives, we will consider new plans aimed at solving essential food-related issues in various regions. RED U-35 aims to return more powered up than ever before, designing a future where chefs can maximize their talents. RED U-35 is Japan's largest chef competition, inaugurated in 2013 to discover young talents of a new era. It is a stage where young chefs, facing difficulties and engaging in trial and error while holding onto their culinary dreams, can test their current selves. RED U-35 has deepened its meaning with each iteration as a place to connect with peers and judges, creating new chemical reactions. Young chefs who gained recognition or self-awareness here have subsequently garnered attention, shining brightly as leaders of the new era. The 12th tournament, RED U-35 2025, scaled up with an official link to the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, allowing the Grand Prix to be announced in front of a larger audience. Across a total of 12 tournaments, the cumulative number of participating young chefs is 5,467; the number of award-winning chefs belonging to CLUB RED is 471; and 11 Grand Prix winners have received the bright red medal. We feel that successfully concluding RED U-35 2025 marks a major milestone. To make the RED U-35 project even stronger in significance and potential—and to ensure it is sustainable and powered up—we have decided to designate this year, 2026, as a "maturation period." We aim to conduct various reviews during this time with the goal of rebooting. Just like the resting time essential for making food delicious, we consider this one of the cooking processes for fundamentally rethinking the nature of the tournament and building a new RED U-35. If there is anyone who has ideas for how we might move forward in a better way, or who wishes to think together, cooperate, or support us, we would be very happy to hear from you. The RED U-35 Executive Committee and CLUB RED will continue, and we look forward to your ongoing support.