Annual Chefs Challenge Competition

The Annual Chefs Challenge Competition is now in it's fourteenth year. The competition is open to any chef who works within Conference Centres of Excellence venues or whose centre is a registered member of the International Association of Conference Centres and will be judged by a panel of invited professionals from the hospitality industry. 

This year we have received more entrants than ever before.The original entries will be shortlisted and the 12 successful finalists will be invited to a cook off where the best tasting and best presented meal will be decided. Awards will then be presented to winners in a number of different categories including; overall best tasting meal, best main dish, starter and dessert. There is also a special award for the chef who demonstrated the best hygiene practices on the day.

With high quality service levels becoming increasingly important, the competition now incorporates a service element, where food service staff can enter to work alongside the chefs to compete for such awards as best service skills and the chairman’s award for best team.

Anthony Lishman Conference Centres of Excellences Executive Director said “ Chefs in our venues are seriously talented people who work hard to create interesting and appropriate menus for those attending training, events and conferences and as such their focus needs to be on providing a variety of interesting and tasty food that recognises the fact that most of our customers stay for long periods of time at our venues, this obviously includes healthy eating options but also food that can be consumed in a working environment and dishes that are an aid to learning in that they support the individuals concentration levels”

Quality Assurance

For Conference Centres of Excellence this event is an additional component to their strategy of continuous quality assurance and is a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of their members’ chefs and a celebration of exceptional food.



For the first time this year we have also opened entries up to members of IACC Europe and are delighted that Sebastién Lothore from Dolce Hotel and Conference Centre Sitges, Barcelona has been shortlisted as a finalist.

The full list of finalists are

• Neil Astbury from the Royal College of Physicians – who will be accompanied by Valentina Coffetti for the Food Service Skills Award
• Steven Bates from Imago at Burleigh Court – who will be accompanied by Rebecca Wade for the Food Service Skills Award
• Sarah Beardmore from Woodland Grange
• Rob Budd from The Manor House
• Jennifer Goff from Maple House, etc Venues
• Sebastién Lothore from Dolce Hotel and Conference Centre Sitges SL, Barcelona – our first IACC Europe entry
• Lisa Morris from Ashorne Hill
• Alan Read from the Kavli Royal Society International Centre, Chicheley Hall
• Ian Steele from the Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre
• John Tack from The Móller Centre – who will be accompanied by Piotr Zdulski for the Food Service Skills Award
• Raymond Thomson from the Stirling Management Centre – who will be accompanied by Peter Tedford for the Food Service Skills Award
• Claire Willett from Wyboston Lakes – who will be accompanied by Steven Whitehead for the Food Service Skills Award

The competition will be held during the day on Saturday 27th October 2012. Competitors have three hours to produce a three course meal that would be suitable for an end of conference dinner for a large group.





In the evening Scarman Training and Conference Centre holds the awards ceremony where the winners are announced.

For more information please contact pr@cceonline.co.uk or contact us on 0845 230 1416.