Welcome to the Chef Stagiaire Award

Tom KerridgeChef Stagiaire Award 2018 is now complete with Chris Davis emerging as the top talent this year after a hard fought Final at The Hand & Flowers with Tom Kerridge and Head Chef Aaron Mulliss. Click here to read about The Hand & Flowers.

We are excited to announce that Chris Davis will be flying off to the astonishingly luxurious Six Senses Zil Pasyon in the Seychelles for the holiday of a lifetime, packed full of culinary learning and extravagant hospitality, the resort is just incredible. Click here to read about Zil Pasyon and prepare to be amazed!

And on top of all that, as if it could get any better, Chris will also be heading out to the ground breaking Benu, in San Francisco, to work for 4 weeks with Chef Proprietor Corey Lee, who currently holds the highest Michelin Guide rating possible: 3 Michelin stars. This will be a fantastic opportunity to see how a kitchen works alongside, literally, one of the best teams in the world!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with 2018 Application details, host locations and prizes on offer.

Watch this space for the 2019 competition. Entry forms will be available soon.

Chef Stagiaire Award

The initiative is aimed at passionate UK based chefs under the age of 25. Chef Stagiaire strives for each individual to dream even bigger and reach even further than they’ve ever done before.

Chef Stagiaire Award consists of three rounds of competition. Beginning with a paper submission. From this submission, the 10 most innovative menus will be chosen by our 3 award winning judges, to decide who will go and complete a 1 week stage in 1 of the 10 Michelin starred kitchens supporting the initiative this year. From there the 2 most impressive semi-finalists will be selected to compete at a 2 Michelin Star Restaurant, 1 of whom will be selected as the overall Winner. The Winner will then be whisked off on the most extraordinary culinary experience you could possibly imagine….!

Previous Winners Experiences

Plating up

John Freeman adding finishing touches.

Oliver Dovey 2017

The 2017 prize, won by Oliver Dovey, was an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to go, firstly, to the 2 Michelin star Les Sources de Caudalie in France to spend a week working alongside Head Chef Nicolas Masse and his incredible brigade, and then onto the luxurious Six Senses Zil Pasyon in the Seychelles to enjoy the sheer decadence at the resort, voted Best Resort Operator in the World 2017, as well as learning lots of new techniques and styles in their multi cultural and boundary pushing on site restaurants, headed up by passionate Executive Chef, Richard Lee.

Louise Roberts 2015

The winner in 2015 Louise Roberts gained the incredible opportunity to work in two of the most unique and prestigious restaurants, Joel Robuchon 3 Michelin star Restaurant in Las Vegas and the immense Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman. Louise said, “The competition took me completely outside my comfort zone and has given me the opportunity to work with some truly amazing Michelin starred chefs.” With the final at 2 Michelin Star ‘Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’ at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London, where Executive Chef of The Fat Duck Group, Ashley Palmer Watts judged. To hear more about Louise’s thoughts after winning: Caterer Article

Emily Greenough 2014

 “When I entered Chef Stagiaire I didn’t know what to expect, but it is the best decision I have ever made”, Emily Greenough commented after her win in 2014. From entering the competition, she was able to embark on a new culinary experience with competing in her stage in Arbutus which won her a place in the final, involving a week long stage at Dinner by Heston, where she was finally decided as the winner. Emily Prize was 2 weeks at 2 Michelin Star Atelier Crenn in San Francisco working with Dominique Crenn followed by a further 2 weeks in Six Senses Zighy Bay – Oman.

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