Much Sought-After Culinary Title Moves One Step Closer as National Chef Of The Year Finalists Are Revealed
The Craft Guild of Chefs has unveiled the 10 finalists who will battle it out for the coveted National Chef of the Year title, following the competition’s highly anticipated return to live semi-finals. Led by chair of judges Mark Birchall and Chair of Pastry, Cherish Finden, the judging panel faced the challenging task of selecting this year’s finalists from an exceptional field of talent.
The journey to the final began with a demanding brief, challenging chefs to create a three-course menu inspired by the theme Our Sustainable Future. Following an intensive first-round judging process, 40 semi-finalists earned their place in the live cook-offs at Sheffield College and Capital City College, where they took on a new challenge and cooked in front of some of the industry’s most respected chefs.
The return of the live semi-finals marked a significant milestone for the competition. As well as assessing technical skill and creativity in the kitchen, judges were able to see how competitors performed under pressure before deciding who would progress to the final.
The finalists are:
• Andy Wright, relief head chef, Country House Weddings
• Byron Franklin, head chef, Mark Poynton at Caistor Hall
• Daniel Conlon, head chef, Rafters Restaurant
• Marnix Taghon , sous chef, Pyro
• Matthew Lees, chef, The Fat Duck
• Nathan Cooper, sous chef, BaxterStorey
• Ruth Hansom, chef owner, Hansom Restaurant
• Scott John-Hodgson, executive chef, Solstice & House of Tides by Kenny Atkinson
• Tom Heywood, head chef/restaurant owner, Pignut & The Hare
• Vladimir Hromek, development chef, Cambridge Dining Co.
These 10 chefs will now refine the menus they originally submitted at the entry stage before competing in the National Chef of the Year final at the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School on 6th October.
David Mulcahy, competition director and Vice-President of the Craft Guild of Chefs said: “The return of the live semi-finals has added another dimension to the judging process. It allowed us to see how chefs performed in a competitive kitchen environment as well as considering the menus they originally submitted as they will cook these at the final.
“Our final decisions were based on both elements, rewarding chefs who demonstrated not only strong ideas on paper but also the skills needed to deliver delicious food at the highest level of pressure. After cooking for some of the most respected chefs in our industry, these finalists have earned their place and I’m sure we are in for an amazing final. For those who didn’t make it through, I’d encourage you to reflect on the experience, consider the feedback and absolutely return next year for what will be another incredible year. The experience teaches you so much about yourself as a chef and helps you grow in ways that go far beyond the competition kitchen.”