Compass serves up success at International Salon Culinaire

Compass Group UK & Ireland chefs cooked up a storm at this year’s International Salon Culinaire competition, taking home an incredible 65 awards. Part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, the prestigious event is a highlight of the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) show at ExCeL London.

Compass chefs achieved one Best Overall Plate, three Best in Class awards, four Gold, 19 Silver, 26 Bronze and 12 Certificates of Merit.

Chefs from across the Compass UK&I business took part in the three-day event, with representation across a full range of sectors. Some of the highlights of the competition include: 

• Terrie McBride, Eurest, who received Gold for her Raised Pie, plus Silver and Best in Class for her Decorated Cup Cakes.
• David Bryant, Restaurant Associates, who took home a Gold, Best in Class and Best Overall Plate Exhibit for his Main Course Plate, as well as a Bronze in the Restaurant Fish Course Plates.
• Aisha Joel, Restaurant Associates, was awarded Bronze for her Afternoon Teas, as well as Silver and Best in Class for Contemporary Plated Dessert.
• Andy Chan, Foodbuy Group, took Gold in the Lamb Challenge 2026. 
• James Shaw, Dine, was awarded Silver in The Alaskan Seafood Masters and in partnership with Katie Forsyth, a Silver in The Mystery Basket Grand Prix.

The UK’s largest programme of culinary competitions, Salon Culinaire brings together over 1,000 competitors and 100 judges, providing an opportunity for chefs to test their skills and creativity in a competition environment at six co-located events. Established in 1902, it has a rich history of being one the world’s top chef competitions, with a reputation for launching emerging culinary talents into the UK hospitality industry.

Nick Vadis, Culinary Director at Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “International Salon Culinaire is always a brilliant event and we were proud to be represented by some of our incredible talent, as well as returning as headline sponsor.

Salon Culinaire provides an ideal opportunity for Chefs to challenge themselves while showcasing their skills – and developing new ones in the process. It was great to see some of our Chefs returning to the event with renewed confidence, along with others experiencing the rush of the event for the first time. The results were phenomenal. Well done to all those who competed and a huge congratulations to our award winners.”

Terrie McBride, Eurest, commented: “I enjoyed the competition and this took months of preparation and planning. To take home a Gold and a Silver was a true achievement and career highlight. Huge thanks to all those that supported me throughout.”