The Staff Canteen Live to host chef demo theatre at Catering Innovation Show 2026
The Staff Canteen Live will host the chef demo theatre at this year’s Catering Innovation Show, bringing a series of high-profile chefs to the Business Design Centre in London on Monday, October 5, 2026.
Organised by Continental Chef Supplies (CCS), part of Bunzl Lockhart, the Catering Innovation Show is returning for 2026 after a successful first year, with the event set to showcase the latest in commercial catering equipment, live cooking, industry innovation and chef-led demonstrations.
The Staff Canteen Live stage will feature some of the UK’s leading chefs cooking in front of a live audience, with more names to be announced in the coming weeks.
The first chef confirmed for the line-up is Ben Murphy, chef at 74 Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia.
Ben has built a reputation as one of the most exciting chefs of his generation, combining classical French technique with a modern, accessible style of cooking.
He was named Young National Chef of the Year in 2012, went on to become National Chef of the Year in 2022, and has worked across leading kitchens including Launceston Place, where he spent seven years before taking the helm at 74 Charlotte Street.
Since opening, 74 Charlotte Street has quickly established itself as one of London’s most talked-about new restaurants, earning three AA rosettes and a place in the Michelin Guide within months.
Ben’s food is known for its precision, personality and sense of nostalgia, including his signature Eggs & Soldiers dish, served in an eggshell with chicken liver parfait, scrambled egg and brioche.
The Staff Canteen Live at Catering Innovation Show
The chef demo theatre will form a major part of the 2026 show, giving chefs, operators and hospitality professionals the chance to watch leading chefs cook live, hear about their creative process and see the equipment, techniques and ideas shaping modern kitchens.
The wider Catering Innovation Show will also feature five cooking areas, including the return of Compass Chef of the Year to the public stage for the first time since before the pandemic, alongside live cooking areas from exhibitors including Falcon, Lincat and Welbilt.
Simon Britten, head of marketing at CCS, said: “After a huge success in our first year, attracting over 1,000 visitors across a single day, we're back for a bigger show in 2026. This year we're pulling out all the stops with five cooking areas.
"Our new partners The Staff Canteen will be hosting the chef demo theatre, whilst Compass Chef of the Year makes a return to the public stage for the first time since before the pandemic. Our exhibitors are showcasing more innovative cooking techniques than ever before with live cooking areas confirmed by Falcon, Lincat & Welbilt so far.
"This year's Catering Innovation Show will deliver on it's name and promises to be more exciting, more inspiring and more fun than ever.”
Mark Morris, founder of The Staff Canteen, added: “Everyone at The Staff Canteen is incredibly excited to be partnering with Simon, Mark and the teams at Bunzl Lockhart and Continental Chef Supplies for this year’s Catering Innovation Show.
"Their connection with chefs and hospitality professionals makes this a natural fit for us, and bringing The Staff Canteen Live to the event alongside such a strong chef line-up is something we’re really looking forward to.
"With the reach and engagement of The Staff Canteen platform before, during and after the show, we’re excited to help make this year’s event bigger and better than ever. We’d love to see the industry come together on Monday, October 5.”
Find out more and register to attend The Catering Innovation Show at the Business Design Centre, London by following this link.
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