Adam Handling, Ruth Hansom, Ben Murphy, Nieves Barragán Mohacho and Poppy O’Toole among those signed up as mentors and judges for this year’s Springboard FutureChef
More than 225,000 students supported over past 25 years as school based cooking competition marks landmark anniversary.
More than 300 top industry chefs have signed up to head back to school to mentor and support the next generation of young chefs as part of Springboard’s FutureChef competition.
The chefs will mentor, judge and support more than 7,000 secondary school-aged students from more than 400 schools and colleges around the UK in the four-stage competition, which runs from October 2023 to March 2024.
They include Michelin starred chefs Adam Handling, Nieves Barragán Mohacho and Graham Cheevers, 2023 National Chef of the Year Ben Murphy, FutureChef Alumni Ruth Hansom, and April Patridge, and social media chef Poppy O’Toole, who has 4.3m TikTok followers.
Now in its 25th year, FutureChef, has supported more than 225,000 young individuals since its launch and been instrumental in providing aspiring young chefs with the necessary skills, guidance, and opportunities to realise their culinary dreams. With over 24% of those who take part in the competition going on to pursue a career in the hospitality industry.
Adam Handling, who chaired the judging panel at the 2023 FutureChef national final, said: “As chefs, we have a duty to nurture the passion and creativity of the next generation. We need to show them the way, ignite their love of food and inspire them to follow their dreams. The future of our industry depends on it.”
2023 winner Kirsten Nugent from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland was mentored by chef James Devine, who took part in Masterchef Professionals and Great British menu and was crowned National Chef of the Year in 2017.
Kirsten said: “It was a whirlwind experience competing in FutureChef. The support and guidance I have received from my mentor James was instrumental in my success. I am more passionate than ever about pursuing a career in hospitality and I cannot wait to see what the future holds and the opportunities this will unlock.”
Chris Gamm, CEO of the Springboard Charity, said: “This year, Springboard FutureChef is taking its mission to new heights with the invaluable support of 300 industry-leading chefs who are devoting their time and expertise to mentor and inspire the next generation of culinary talent in their schools and through to the local, regional and national finals. The incredible milestone of supporting more than 225,000 young people over the past 25 years highlights FutureChef’s unwavering commitment to shaping the future of the culinary industry.”
