After a hiatus of five years, the Young North West Chef of the Year Competition is set to make a comeback, aiming to champion emerging chefs and showcase talent across the region’s kitchens.
The decision to revive the competition grew out of conversations with leading North West chefs keen to see it return. Brian Mellor, founder and chair of the competition, said the break had lasted long enough and that the time felt right to bring it back.
Launched in 2001, the competition has enabled hundreds of young chefs to test themselves in a competitive environment, receive feedback from leading industry figures, and develop skills in menu development and costing — all vital to career progression in professional kitchens.
The event was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions. Mellor explained: “We had planned to go again in 2022, but then the cost-of-living crisis hit; and, as someone who lost my own business during COVID and was still trying to recover, it was unfair to ask independents to commit to the competition at that time.”
In recent months, renewed enthusiasm has emerged for the competition’s return. Caroline Wright, Managing Director of Taste Hospitality Recruitment, said: “I think it’s important for young chefs to have that springboard; it’s an amazing thing to be able to put on your CV, and an amazing achievement for a burgeoning career.”
Mellor and Wright are now reigniting former partnerships and forming new alliances to re-launch the competition. In past editions, winners and entrants have progressed to the Young National Chef of the Year, and plans are underway to work closely with the Craft Guild of Chefs to ensure a strong return.
As Mellor and Wright put it: “There is a gorgeous defiance in our Hospitality family, we get battered, bruised, appreciated and celebrated in equal measure… Yet always, when we’re ready, we stick our heads up and say, ‘ok, what’s next?’” They added: “We think it’s the perfect time to get this competition back up and running: Chefs are asking, we are responding.”
The competition’s return promises more than nostalgia: it offers a renewed platform for the region’s next generation of gastronomic leaders to emerge. Stay tuned for further announcements.
Previous winners include Edwin Kuk (2019), Cyril Gabriel (2018), Tom Reeves (2017), Daniela Tucci (2016), Arthur Quin (2015), Danny Young (2014) and others.
Notably, Danny Young has just been crowned National Chef of the Year.
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