Craft Guild Of Chefs Celebrates Rising Stars As Ten Chefs Achieve Graduate Awards
The Craft Guild of Chefs has once again spotlighted the UK’s most promising culinary talent, as ten young chefs have successfully passed the prestigious Graduate Awards following an intense final exam held at the University of West London.
The results were revealed in style at a celebratory event hosted at Fortnum & Mason on Monday 15th September, where industry leaders, mentors, and supporters gathered to honour the chefs who reached the required standard in either the Kitchen or Pastry Graduate Award.
This year’s Kitchen Graduate Award was achieved by:
• Dylan Evans, Henrock by Simon Rogan
• Inez Roggema, Trivet
• Kai-le Tran, Royal Air Force Club
• Oliver Porter, House of Commons
• Matthew Crane, Royal Air Force Club
• Ross Boyd, Amuse
The Highest Achiever in the Kitchen category was Inez Roggema, while the Mentor Award was presented to Elliot Plimmer from the Royal Air Force Club, recognising his outstanding support and guidance throughout the process.
In the Pastry category, the following chefs achieved the award:
• Alina Szymanska, Harrods
• Andy Reid, The Glasshouse by Seasons
• Cameron McCrossan, Mar Hall
• Christi Myburgh, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
Christi Myburgh was named Highest Achiever in Pastry, with the Mentor Award going to Emmanuel Bonneau from the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.
Founder and organiser Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs said:
“The Graduate Awards continue to be a benchmark for excellence amongst young chefs. What stood out this year was the sheer determination and professionalism shown by every finalist. Most of our Kitchen Achievers this year have entered previously and just missed out, so they’ve come back having learnt from the experience and on a mission to achieve it.
These ambitious chefs are the future of our industry, and it’s a privilege to support their journey.”
Ben Murphy, Chair of Kitchen Examiners, reflected on the collaboration amongst finalists:
“This year’s group showed incredible teamwork and maturity. The Graduate Awards aren’t about competing against each other; it’s about personal growth, making new connections and learning at every stage. It was inspiring to see how the mentor experience helped build confidence and camaraderie among the chefs. I’ve absolutely loved my time as Chair of Examiners and supporting young talent at such an important time in their career.”
Returning as Chair of Pastry Examiners, Sarah Frankland, executive pastry chef at Pennyhill Park, added:
“It was clear that every finalist had grown immensely through the process and there was a really calm and positive atmosphere in the kitchen.
“For me, the Graduate Awards is about that attention to detail and really delving deep into the brief. We wanted to see simple, classic pastry skills executed brilliantly and this year’s Achievers really did that. For those who didn’t achieve the award, take on all the feedback, learn from it and if you can, come back even stronger next year.”
The Kitchen Graduates will be invited to compete in the semi-finals of the Young National Chef of the Year in 2026.