Head chef at private school to compete in world cooking final in Wales

A young Welsh chef, who is the talk of the private school where he is head chef, says competing in the Global Young Chefs Challenge Final on home soil next month will be his proudest achievement to date.

Junior Culinary Team Wales captain and 2025 Junior Chef of Wales winner Calum Smith, 25, will be competing against seven other talented chefs in the final on May 19. He has recently been promoted to head chef for Independents by Sodexo at Shrewsbury School.

Four Global Chefs Challenge finals are being held at the Worldchefs Congress & Expo at ICC Wales, Newport from May 16–19 – the first time this huge, global event has been held in the UK in its 98-year history.

Wales will have a chef in each of the finals and home supporters are being urged to go along with their Welsh flags to cheer on the Team Wales finalists.

In his final, Calum will have three hours to cook a three-course meal for four people to a challenging brief.

He said: “Preparation has been good but it has been challenging trying to focus on the final whilst also juggling cooking for 1,000 students daily.”

“My dishes will be full of flavour and heritage, using as many Welsh ingredients and showcasing as many skills as I can within the time.

“I feel excited and humbled to have been given this opportunity to cook against the world’s best young chefs. It’s a massive privilege to cook for Wales – probably my proudest achievement to date. It’s going to be ace competing on home soil in front of people I know.”

The excitement about Calum competing is not just confined to Wales. He said:“It has definitely brought a buzz factor to Shrewsbury School

“Everyone is asking when I’m competing and there’s such a great atmosphere around work which is driving me on even more to excel.”

The final

As for his hopes in the final, “What is meant to be, will be,” he said pragmatically. “If I deliver what I have been practising, then I will be happy and it would be amazing to win a medal.”

He thanked Matthew Warburton, general catering manager at Independents by Sodexo, Colin Gray, Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) vice president and Danny Burke, former coach to the Junior Culinary Team Wales, for their support.

Calum added: “I have had valuable feedback from chefs within the association and the support from Matt has been five star.”

He captained the Junior Culinary Team Wales to silver and bronze medals at the Culinary World Cup in 2022 and a gold medal and third place overall in the Alen Thong Golden Coffee Pot Young Chef Challenge at The International Emirates Salon Culinaire in United Arab Emirates in May 2024.

Hosted by the CAW, the Worldchefs Congress and Expo 2026 is expected to attract around 800 chefs from around the world, has been held in the UK.

The CAW is a member of the Home Nations alongside the Panel of Chefs Ireland, Federation of Chefs Scotland and The British Culinary Federation. Therefore, Calum is not only representing Wales but also flying the flag for the Home Nations.

CAW president Arwyn Watkins, OBE, is calling on spectators to turn out in force to cheer on the Welsh finalists.

He said: “All the other countries who have chefs competing in the four Global Chef Challenge finals are bringing lots of supporters, so it will be very disappointing if there’s nobody there to cheer on the Welsh chefs here in Wales.”

Entry to finals and Expo is free of charge and people can either register in advance or on the day at the desk. For the full range of paid packages for visitors wishing to attend the Worldchefs Congress visit their site.