A talented West Wales chef is ready for the biggest culinary competition of his life on home soil next month, with a global honour at stake.
Sam Everton, 26, from Llangeler, Llandysul, will be representing Wales in the Global Chefs Challenge final at the Worldchefs Congress & Expo which is being held at ICC Wales, Newport from May 16–19.
He and his commis chef, Tyler Richardson from Y Seler, Aberaeron, will be competing against 15 of the world’s best chefs in the final on Sunday, May 17. Supporters are being urged to go along with their Welsh flags to cheer on Sam and three other Team Wales finalists on each of the four days of Global Chefs Challenge finals.
Sam is a catering lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion, works part-time at Yr Hen Printworks, Cardigan and has recently launched his own private dining business, with bookings for the first six months achieved in two weeks.
He qualified for the global final by winning the National Chef of Wales final at the Welsh International Culinary Championships last year. He’s only the second chef to win the Junior and National Chef of Wales titles in consecutive years.
A former WorldSkills golf medallist who finished third, whilst representing Wales, in the World Young Chef Young Waiter competition in Monaco in 2023, Sam is excited to be competing on home soil.
“I’m hoping for home advantage on May 17,” he said. “It’s nice to competing in a global competition in Wales for once, although it adds an extra bit of pressure.
“I’m aiming for at least the top 10 but it would be amazing if I could win a medal which would be the biggest accolade so far, especially as I’m competing as a senior chef.”
He has been totally focused on perfecting his dishes and flavours since the start of the year, with Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) president Arwyn Watkins, OBE and vice president Colin Gray providing valuable feedback.
“The brief is challenging to marry the different flavours together but I am really happy with my dishes. All the ingredients and elements of the dishes have come together.”
The Worldchefs Congress and Expo 2026 is being hosted by the CAW. It’s the first time in its 98-year history that the event, which 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, Sam and Tyler are not only representing Wales but also flying the flag for the Home Nations.
Arwyn Watkins urged spectators to turn out in force to cheer on the Welsh chefs who will be competing on each of the four days.
“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,” he said.
