Michelin-starred chefs draw big crowds on The Staff Canteen Live stage at the Catering Innovation Show

The Staff Canteen Live brought six of the UK's leading chefs to the Catering Innovation Show on Monday, October 5, and the audiences turned out in force.

Organised by Bunzl Lockhart and Continental Chef Supplies (CCS), the Catering Innovation Show returned to the Business Design Centre in Islington for its second year, bringing together the latest commercial catering equipment, live cooking and foodservice professionals from restaurants, hotels, contract catering and the public sector.

This year The Staff Canteen hosted the live theatre for the first time, with Mark Morris, co-founder of The Staff Canteen, presenting every demo and leading a Q&A with the audience after each one.

It made for a brilliant day. The theatre was busy from the first demo to the last, the audiences were knowledgeable and full of questions, and all of the chefs were stopped for autographs, photos and requests for staging as soon as they stepped off stage.

A morning of seasonality

Ben Murphy, chef patron at 74 Charlotte Street by Ben Murphy in Fitzrovia, opened the stage at 10am with seared tuna, calamansi and Granny Smith apple. Ben, who was named National Chef of the Year in 2022, opened 74 Charlotte Street in 2025 after seven years at Launceston Place. The smells from his dish instantly drew more crowds, who were eager to get a taste of it after his demo.

Ben said: "Really enjoyable time. I think being in a position to showcase something I'm doing at the restaurant is really important. And first on, now I've got the rest of event to enjoy! I'm very fortunate to be in this position."

The next two chefs created dishes featuring the same hero ingredient, tomato.

Mark Tuttiett, head chef at the two-Michelin-starred Da Terra in Bethnal Green, followed with tomato, almond and ajo blanco. Mark, who works alongside chef patron Rafael Cagali and represented the South West on Great British Menu 2026, felt the story of the restaurant can teach a lot to young chefs.

He said: “Honestly it’s always good to share the story of Da Terra and the history behind it.

“It’s super important and it makes a big difference to help the next generation of our industry, to show them that anything is possible, as long as you follow the steps and study and make your way in this industry, you can get there.”

Jean Delport, executive chef at Interlude Restaurant with Rooms on the Leonardslee estate in West Sussex, completed the trio with Nutbourne tomatoes, onion and garden greens. Jean became the first South African chef to win a Michelin star in the UK guide in 2019, and Interlude added a Michelin green star in 2024.

Jean is also an ambassador for Prept, the show's official charity partner, which inspires young people to discover a passion for food and a career in the industry. Jean was joined on stage by Jess Aggarwal, co-founder of Prept, and Mark Lombard, managing director of Lockhart Catering Equipment, who fielded questions from Mark Morris and the audience, prompting interesting discussion around the work Prept does to help inspire the next generation of chefs from under-priveleged backgrounds. Jean emphasised the importance of touching ingredients, to experience it physically.

people on stage — From left to right: Mark Lombard of Bunzl, Jess Aggarwal of Prept, Mark Morris and Jean Delport during Jean's demo that included good discussion amongst the audience.

Jean said: "That's the big thing, people don't understand sometimes, so to

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chat about it more is really important."

Big names Continue after lunch

Tom Shepherd, chef patron of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd in Lichfield, opened the afternoon session. As the weather was so good, and hearing about the chefs who came on stage before him, he joked he should have made a tomato dish too! Instead he cooked Cornish monkfish, Jerusalem artichoke, Oscietra caviar and vin jaune.

Tom opened Upstairs above his father's jewellery shop in 2021 and won Staffordshire's first Michelin star just four months later. He won the main course on Great British Menu in 2023 and is now a veteran judge on the show, and his demo was something of a reunion with the man presenting it.

He said: “The demo was great. I’ve done a few of these Staff Canteen ones. I first met Mark when I was at Sat (Bains) in 2015, so 11 years now.

“The show has been a big part of our industry, and it’s amazing now doing a demo with Mark on the stage. It’s a mad world, it’s a mad life, so we’ve got to take these opportunities.”

Next up was Lisa Goodwin-Allen, chef patron-director of the Michelin-starred Northcote in Lancashire's Ribble Valley and culinary director at The Beaumont Mayfair, who cooked Orkney scallop, fermented grape and dill.

Lisa said: “It’s great to come out and show people a little bit what you’re about. Bring the north to the south. Inspire people, and hopefully get different things into business, and more people into the hospitality industry.

“The scallop dish is something we’re about, it’s about using amazing ingredients, pairing it with fantastic flavours within the season. There’s nothing better than an incredible sauce with a beautiful scallop.”

Tommy Banks, chef director of the Tommy Banks Group, whose The Black Swan at Oldstead and Roots in York both hold a Michelin star, closed the chef demos with crapaudine beetroot, blackberry and blackcurrant leaf.

Tommy, a Victorinox chef ambassador whose family has farmed in Oldstead for five generations, said: “I love doing demos, it’s nice meeting new people and it’s very interactive. My food is all about storytelling and it’s a great opportunity to talk a lot more in depth about a single dish.

“It’s a very engaged audience here, it’s an industry sort of event. So people are very knowledgeable and have got loads of good questions.

“The beetroot dish is a really interesting dish. It’s a dish that nobody else will do. In 20 minutes, half an hour, you can’t cook a Michelin sort of dish. But this dish was something that no one else will do, and so much to talk about.

“I know the cost of beef, and the cost of that beetroot is more than our cattle.”

Before closing off, Mark Morris brought on all the back of house staff and key partners who helped make the day possible, for a rapturous round of applause..

The partners

The Staff Canteen Live stage would not have happened without the support of our wonderful partners in Bunzl Lockhart, Continental Chef Supplies and The Catering Innovation Show.

On stage, Rational provided the working combi oven, Robot Coupe with processors, Victorinox the knives, Wellocks the larder and produce, and Lafont the chef jackets.

Prept was the show's official charity partner, selling raffle tickets from its stand next to the stage all day. The top prize is a £5,000 voucher to spend on exclusive catering equipment with Lockhart Catering Equipment over the next year, and the raffle closes at 5pm on Wednesday, October 7. You can still buy tickets here.

Find out more about The Staff Canteen Live and our upcoming events.