Stadium Experience ‘Cooks Up’ New‑Look Chef Team Award For 2025

Chefs plating food Stadium Experience has ‘cooked up’ a new‑look Chef Team of the Year Award with a brand‑new format for 2025. The award will form part of The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards 2025, with the awards organisers partnering with both the British Culinary Federation and Xcelerate with Edgbaston for the prestigious live‑kitchen competition to be held on Wednesday 5th March 2025.

The new style event will be hosted at Xcelerate with Edgbaston, a regional community skills and learning centre, centrally located in Birmingham. The venue boasts up to 12 fully equipped kitchen stations, allowing for an increased number of competing teams. The competition time will also increase to 90 minutes to further showcase the creativity and skills of the stadium chef teams.

The new style event will be hosted at Xcelerate with Edgbaston

The Competition

Teams of two stadium chefs will have 90 minutes to prepare, cook and present a four‑course menu for 2 covers suitable for their Club Chairperson to entertain the Head of the FA, RFU or the Cricket ECB to a business luncheon. The menu must include: Amuse Bouche, Starter suitable for a Vegan, Main Course of competitors’ choice and Dessert of competitors’ choice.

Teams of two stadium chefs will have 90 minutes to prepare, cook and present a four‑course menu

Independent Judging

The British Culinary Federation (BCF) will fully co‑ordinate the competition and judging process. The BCF is a National Member of World Chefs and the home of England’s National Culinary Team. BCF President Peter Griffiths MBE (and previously the Head Judge for the Matchday Hospitality Awards) will be the Chair of Judges for the competition. The judging team will represent a number of chef bodies including British Culinary Federation, Craft Guild of Chefs and more. Judges will be marking on Presentation, Portion Size, Flavours, Textures, Temperature, Timing, Working Practices and Methods.

The British Culinary Federation (BCF) will fully co‑ordinate the competition and judging process.

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How To Enter

The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards The competition is now open to all of Stadium Experience’s 60+ member venues to enter, with other award categories opening for entry in the coming months. Clubs are advised to enter early to avoid disappointment. Click here to see the full details and enter.  The awards results will be announced at next The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards in July 2025, by the award category sponsor; Chef Works & Bragard UK.

British Culinary Federation President, Peter Griffiths MBE, said: “We were approached to help find a suitable central venue to host this unique and popular Chef Team Award. The facilities at Edgbaston Stadium are excellent and we look forward to supporting what promises to be a very exciting and rewarding competition.”

Callum Greene, Operations Manager at Xcelerate, added: “We’re very much excited to host Stadium Experience here at Xcelerate, we wish the best of luck to all teams who are participating in the competition.”

Debbie Rigney, Marketing & PR Manager for Stadium Experience and awards organiser, commented: “The ethos of Stadium Experience is all about sharing best practice, and celebrating successes in our industry with our annual awards. We are very excited to partner with the world‑renowned British Culinary Federation to recognise the very best chefs at our stadium venues. To be hosting this at one of our famous cricket venue members, in their impressive chef training centre, is just the ‘icing on the cake’! We would like to thank both for their support in creating a fantastic competition for the 2025 awards.”

Find out more about The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards 2025.

See more about awards sponsorship opportunities for 2025.