Sölden is a stage for young gastronomy talents
Last updated on 28.03.2025
Ötztal Valley once again became a meeting place for young local tourism talent. Six schools from across Austria participated in “Sölden is looking for the Gastronomic Super Talent”. A total of 36 students competed in teams and three disciplines: cooking art, service and marketing – showing a high level of innovative ideas, commitment as well as a great deal of personal responsibility. In 2025, the coveted title remained in Tirol and went to Wilder Kaiser Tourism Schools. In second place was Vienna’s School of Hospitality, followed by Bludenz Tourism School.
This event put the students at the center of attention. They planned menus, implemented service processes and presented their innovative marketing concepts – all under realistic conditions, including time pressure. The focus is not on showmanship, but on solid craftsmanship, teamwork and solution-oriented thinking. The main aim of the competition is to raise the profile of young professionals in tourism by providing a worthy platform on which their skills are properly recognized. This focus is underscored by the top-class expert jury which included well-known names such as kitchen chef Stefan Lenz from Vorarlberg, awarded Two Toques, and his colleague Peter Fankhauser from Zillertal, who holds a Michelin Star. “I think it’s very important to put young people and tourism professions in the spotlight. Sölden is thus a role model for everyone else,” states top chef Stefan Lenz. The presence of stars from the world of sports and social media also generated a lot of enthusiasm. In addition to Kitzbühel winner Thomas Dreßen, who took the students to the slopes of Sölden after the competition day, influencer Nathan Goldblat was also on site. Besides many selfie requests, the Instagram star with more than 600,000 followers reported on his daily (online) life.
Tirolean winners
Following the triumph of Tirol’s Vocational School for Tourism and Commerce from Landeck last year, first place went to Tirol again this year. The team of Wilder Kaiser Tourism Schools impressed in all categories with perfectly thought-out menus, a well-coordinated service team and compelling marketing ideas ranging from social media campaigns to portals using artificial intelligence. Vienna’s Hospitality School can look forward to second place, followed by Bludenz Tourism School, which participated for the first time this year. Having traveled the furthest, Tourism and Hotel Management School from Oberwart in Burgenland was delighted to win the day’s kitchen team title. “The event is a unique platform for young students while Sölden provides them with a fantastic stage that we cannot offer them in everyday life,” explains Hermann Wachter, a teacher at the Bludenz Tourism School. Samuel Jordan from Längenfeld and Fabian Frischmann from Tumpen competed in the kitchen competition for Landeck’s Vocational School. “If you love creativity, then gastronomy, especially cooking, is a fulfilling challenge,” the two young Ötztal cooking professionals agree when it comes to choosing a career in tourism. They impressively demonstrated this approach with a book created specifically for the competition entitled “The Ötztal Guys”.
Sölden invests in young and upcoming talent
The competition is part of a much larger idea: Sölden tries to empower young people – not just as guests, but as shapers of the entire tourism industry. Since its launch in 2023, the format has established itself and further developed. “It’s a joy to see how motivated young people are to participate in the competition. This attitude encourages us to create such an event,” says Angelika Falkner, host at 5-star Das Central Hotel and head of the “Destination Employer Branding” working group for the “Future of Sölden” project. Alois Rainer, head of the Tourism & Leisure Industry Section at Tirol’s Chamber of Commerce, pays great respect for such a high level of motivation. “If we had more tourist regions that put in so much effort, it would be helpful for the entire industry. ‘Sölden is looking for the Gastronomic Super Talent’ raises work in tourism to a whole new level,” emphasizes Rainer.
