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6 - 9 SEP 2027 | icc Sydney
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Competition


ACF Culinary
Challenge

2026 Winners

Where Skill, Speed and Creativity Take The Centre Stage

Across four action-packed days at Fine Food Australia, chefs, trainees, and apprentices went head-to-head in live competitions that celebrated both emerging talent and professional mastery.

Proudly presented by the Australian Culinary Federation and ACF NSW ACT & Regions, this event is dedicated to promoting culinary excellence and providing a world-class competitive environment for chefs at every stage of their journey.

More Details

2026 ACF National Apprentice Competition Awards

1st Year Apprentice Chef Champion – Fiona Heyink | Western Australia
2nd Year Apprentice Chef Champion – Bray Royle | Tasmania
Culinary Student Champion – Zetong Zhang | Victoria
Final Year Apprentice Chef Champion – Kara Oxley | Victoria

2026 ACF Culinary Challenge Awards

2026 ACF Most Outstanding Chef of the Year – Dev Ghandi
The battle for 2026 ACF Most Outstanding Chef of the Year saw an exceptional field of chefs competing across multiple classes. After an outstanding performance across three classes, Dev Ghandi achieved three Gold Medals to claim the competition’s major professional individual honour.
 
Street Food Challenge Champions – Courtney Short & Jordan Murphy | Western Australia
Team Challenge Champions – Isireli David Chong & Filipe Miramara | Fiji
Yum Cha Challenge Champions – Ying Cai & Chui Ying Tweety Leung
2026 Most Outstanding Apprentice/Trainee Chef – Thanh Thao Do

What To Expect

Australia’s brightest culinary talent in the spotlight, competing against the clock and judged by accredited ACF professionals,
including:

ACF National Apprentice Competition

ACF Most Outstanding Chef

ACF Team Challenges

Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat Award Final Series

2026 Timetable Coming Soon

Timetable

Print Current View
Mon Aug 31
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Monday: Individual Live Cooking Challenges

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Monday: Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat Award

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Monday: A series of 30-minute masterclasses

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Mon Aug 31
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Monday: Static Medal Presentations

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Tue Sep 1
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Tuesday: A series of 30-minute masterclasses

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Tuesday: Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat Award

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Tuesday: Individual Live Cooking Challenges

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tue Sep 1
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Tuesday: Static Medal Presentations

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Tue Sep 1
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Street Food Challenge

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wed Sep 2
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Wednesday: A series of 30-minute masterclasses

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

1st Year Apprentice Cooks Competition

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Wed Sep 2
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

2nd Year Apprentice Cooks Competition

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Wednesday: Static Medal Presentations

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Wed Sep 2
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

NAC 1st Year Medal Presentation

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wed Sep 2
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Culinary Students

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wed Sep 2
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

NAC 2nd Year Medal Presentation

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Wed Sep 2
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

NAC Culinary Student Medal

5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Thu Sep 3
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Yum Cha Challenge

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Final Year Apprentice Cooks

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Thursday: A series of 30-minute masterclasses

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thu Sep 3
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Awards Presentation

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

A Curated Environment for Industry Professionals​

Fine Food Australia is exclusively for the trade, which means every person on the floor is here for the same reason you are: to source, connect and do business. Registration is free and takes just a few minutes.

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