He triumped in the final where he was competing against six other Sodexo chefs during a two-hour live cook-off. The competition celebrated the creativity, expertise and passion within Sodexo’s culinary community across the UK and Ireland.
This year’s event focused on sustainable eating, challenging chefs to create three innovative and plant-based dishes that highlighted both creativity and sustainability. Andrew’s winning menu was:
- Grab-and-Go Boxed Salad: Wasabi dressed seaweed salad.
- Main Course: Cider braised leek with wild mushroom crumb, truffled cashew crème, pink apple purée, parsnip crisps, crispy kale & sage oil.
- Street Food: Kale pakoras, red lentil and coconut dhal, cumin pickled red cabbage, orange tomato kachumber salad.
Andrew’s prize includes an all-expenses-paid trip to the Global Launch Event for Future Menu 2025 in the Netherlands. The competition was judged by Ian Nottage, James Brown, Barnaby MacAdam, Dan Blucert and Rachael Elliott.
Matt Hay, head of culinary at Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “This competition is a true celebration of the talent, passion, and innovation within Sodexo’s culinary community. Each year, our chefs rise to the challenge, not only displaying their technical expertise but also embracing our commitment to sustainable eating.
“The seven finalists exemplified the best of Sodexo, pushing boundaries to create plant-based dishes that were as sustainable as they were creative. Competing in a high-pressure live cook-off, in front of esteemed judges and peers, is no easy feat, and each finalist should be incredibly proud of their achievement.
“Congratulations to Andrew for their outstanding dishes and for claiming the title of Sodexo Chef of the Year 2025. This competition reflects the strength of our culinary community and our ongoing dedication to delivering innovative, sustainable food experiences.”
The competition crowned a winner for each course. Andrew had the best main course and street food dishes. The judges concluded that Joshua Thompson from Sodexo’s Government business had the best grab-and-go salad. Anthony Dye from Sodexo’s Corporate Services business won the Food Safety Award.
The other finalists were Paige Flynn, Dermot Staunton, Chris Ormshaw and Bruno Boris Bilota. All seven finalists received a year’s membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs in addition to a special finalists’ chef jacket and certificate.