A CEREDIGION chef has been named the Junior Chef of Wales.
Sam Everton – who is a lecturer at Cardigan’s Coleg Ceredigion campus – competed against seven fellow young Welsh chefs in the final and was ‘honoured’ to get the win at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC).
The 25-year-old is also a part-time junior sous chef at Y Seler in Aberaeron. During the competition, his commis chef was one of his students, Tyler Richardson, who also works at Y Seler. In the final, he cooked a potato salad starter with laverbread gnocchi, infused root vegetables, Caerphilly Cheese, toasted turnip top and watercress velouté. The main course was a celebration of Welsh beef with locally sourced sirloin, braised beef cheek, textures of mushroom and onion and truffled beef reduction.
It is not Sam’s first rodeo as he has competed for Wales and the UK in WorldSkills competitions all over the world.
Sam said: “I knew I did well in the final but I never imagined I was going to win.
“What an honour to represent Wales again to show that I am the best in my field. All the hard work and training has paid off. Winning this competition was in my bucket list and it’s a huge achievement.”
Colin Gray, Culinary Association of Wales’ vice president and chairman of the judging panel, said of the finalists: “They are the future of our industry and are all winners in our eyes for having the courage to compete.”
Sam was given the trophy and a gold medal by Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government’s rural affairs minister, at an awards dinner. He also won a set of engraved Freidr Dick competition knives and £100 of Churchill products.
He will be competing next in the semi-final of the Craft Guild of Chefs’ 2024 UK Young National Chef of the Year competition. He will also be invited to attend the Worldchefs Congress and Expo at the ICC Wales in May 2026. Sam is also planning to compete for the National Chef of Wales next year.
The Welsh International Culinary Championships were held at the International Convention Centre, Wales in Newport and organised by the Culinary Association of Wales.
competition knives and £100 of Churchill products.
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