National Chef of the Year 2017: The Finalists Revealed

Ten minutes until the start of the competition and our judges are all ready for the challenge ahead #NCOTY

A photo posted by The Craft Guild of Chefs (@craftguildofchefs) on Jun 22, 2016 at 2:21am PDT

We reveal the 10 National Chef of the Year 2017 finalists below.

Meet this year’s NCOTY finalists

40 chefs from outstanding restaurants, hotels and pubs across the country took part in the semi-final heats of the competition, which were held at Sheffield College and Le Cordon Bleu, London. To earn their place in the final, each chef was required to demonstrate their finest core culinary skills according to a thorough brief, which they were able to adapt to their own cooking style.

You know it was only a few days ago we saw this! @LeCordonBleuLDN for semi finals @Craft_Guild #NCOTY Busy kitchen! pic.twitter.com/YTinHvuopu — David Mulcahy (@MulcahyDavid) 25 June 2016

Following the semi-finals, we can reveal that the 10 chefs who will be going on to compete in the live final of National Chef of the Year 2017 are:

• Danny Parker, Head Chef at House of Tides in Newcastle
• Martin Carabott, Senior Sous Chef at The Royal Automobile Club
• Adam Thomason, Head Chef at Restaurant Associates
• Charles Smith, Head Chef at Alyn Williams at The Westbury
• Liam McKenna, Head Chef at Trump International
• James Devine, Sous Chef at EIPIC
• Paul Foster, Chef Patron of Salt
• Stephanie Coupland, Chef de Partie at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
• Luciano Lucioli, Head Chef at Lusso – CH&Co
• Kamil Wierzbowski, Sous Chef at Petrus Restaurant, Gordon Ramsay

The chefs will be required to keep their cool as the heat turns up in the live National Chef of the Year final at this year’s The Restaurant Show on October 4^th. Ahead of the final, the chefs will also attend a Mentor Day at The Grove in Hertfordshire on September 5^th.

Huge thank you to our #NCOTY and #YNCOTY judges in Sheffield today.

A photo posted by The Craft Guild of Chefs (@craftguildofchefs) on Jun 14, 2016 at 1:13pm PDT

This is when they will be presented with a ‘mystery basket’ of ingredients which they’ll be required to incorporate into their menu for the live final. Former National Chef of the Year 2015 Russell Bateman will also be conducting a masterclass with the chefs – you can read our exclusive interview with Russell during his time as NCOTY 2015 here.

See the National Chef of the Year 2017 final for yourself

Taking place three days between 3^rd-5^th October 2016 at London’s Olympia, The Restaurant Show is one of the biggest hospitality industry trade shows in Europe. Catering to owners, operators and staff of UK restaurants, hotels, catering companies, cafes and leisure establishments, at The Restaurant Show is where you can discover the most innovative products and services from over 400 suppliers, as well as enjoy live demonstrations and presentations from prominent chefs and industry influencers.

Great shot from the #NCOTY Heat 2 kitchen - judges keeping a close eye on the chefs A photo posted by The Craft Guild of Chefs (@craftguildofchefs) on Jun 22, 2016 at 3:09am PDT

As well at the live final of National Chef of the Year 2017, The Restaurant Show 2016 will also incorporate the renamed Lockhart Catering Equipment Expo for the very first time. Formerly known as The Show, read our run-down of last year’s event at Old Trafford to discover what you can expect from our showcase of the industry’s very best catering equipment. You can register your place at The Restaurant Show 2016 here.

Cook-off is over & it's time for celebration ceremony before the big announcement. There's treats instore #NCOTY pic.twitter.com/7laRCix881

— Craft Guild of Chefs (@Craft_Guild) 22 June 2016

Will you be attending The Restaurant Show? What do you think to the finalists of National Chef of the Year 2017? We’d love to hear your thoughts – leave us a comment below.