A talented young chef from Powys has won two silver medals at the Culinary Olympics.

Gennaro Adaggio, from Welshpool, who works at his family’s restaurant in Shrewsbury, was selected to be part of the Welsh national team for the contest in Germany, which was held this week.

The 24-year-old sous chef at La Dolce Vita, Hills Lane, Shrewsbury, lined up as part of the Welsh National Culinary Team, which is ranked sixth in the world.

The team managed to win two silver medals, despite facing a number of setbacks on the way to the finals.

They had to face losing £15,000 sponsorship, which prevented Wales from entering a junior side, two senior chefs who withdrew and a ferry strike.

But Graham Tinsley, team manager and co-owner of the Castle Hotel, Conwy, and Nant Hall, Prestatyn, said he was delighted.

He said: “When you see other top teams, like defending Olympic champions Sweden and Singapore, also winning silver medals, it puts our result into perspective.

“This is my fourth Culinary Olympics and the best we had done previously was bronze medals, so it’s a fantastic achievement against all the odds this time.”

They took silver in the hot kitchen contest, when the team produced 110 covers of a three-course meal. The second was in the cold platter show, which entailed creating a range of dishes, including appetisers, main courses, complete menus, desserts, cakes and showpieces.