Following a successful run at International Salon Culinaire 2026, Vacherin is celebrating its brilliant chefs and its proactive approach to empowering and nurturing culinary competition talent.
Fourteen chefs from the specialist London catering and hospitality business showcased their skills and creativity at the premier culinary competition, which is part of the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) show, with fantastic results.
Over the three days of competition, the team – of which half were making their International Salon Culinaire debut – achieved three Silver, five Bronze, and four Hygiene awards within their haul of recognition.
The value of empowering chefs to push themselves technically and creatively in the competition arena is embedded in Vacherin’s culture for its benefit in developing talented individuals and the food offer.
Steve Humphries, Vacherin’s Head of Hospitality – Culinary, who is a competition veteran of more than 20 years and now coordinates and mentors Vacherin’s competition chefs, said: “The team should be incredibly proud of their International Salon Culinaire achievements. From our seasoned competitors to those entering the competition kitchen for the first time, they all did a fantastic job.
“Competitions offer many personal and professional development benefits that positively impact both the individual and our business. This includes skillset development, increased creative flair, team building, a widened chef network and greater progression opportunities. Our chefs always return from a competition experience with boosted confidence and pride, new learnings and ideas as well as a refreshed energy that they bring back to their teams and sites. That’s why we give every chef that wants to be involved in competitions the opportunity and support to do so, whatever their role or experience.”
Mentoring and shared expertise is at the heart of Steve’s approach. For example, chefs preparing to enter competitions are mentored by experienced competition chefs within Vacherin, undertake practice sessions both in and out of work with the provision of equipment and facilities, are given the opportunity and encouragement to put their competition dishes on their menus to benefit from regular practice and live feedback, and gain support from subject experts, such as sustainability leads, to elevate their knowledge and menus.
This year, in preparation for International Salon Culinaire, Steve arranged for the team to receive valuable guidance and feedback from esteemed chef David Mulcahy, who has coordinated and judged some of the most prestigious culinary competitions, including National Chef of the Year.
“I’m really proud of our approach to supporting and nurturing our chefs that want to compete. I competed for more than 20 years, and it was a lot of fun and had an incredible impact on my career. It’s now my turn to give back by mentoring our chefs and giving them as many opportunities to succeed as we can.
“We’ve got a fantastic track record in competitions. We’ve had 60 chefs compete at International Salon Culinaire since 2023, we’re represented at our sector competitions such as StrEATfood Awards and ACE Ready Steady Cook, and we run our own programme of internal culinary competitions. We’ve also had chefs do a fantastic job on popular national television competitions such as Bake Off: The Professionals, Masterchef: The Professionals and Great British Menu. I love watching our chefs succeed and I couldn’t be prouder!”
