Chef is cutting short his honeymoon to cook for Wales in Abu Dhabi final

Culinary Association of Wales Culinary Association of Wales

Culinary Association of Wales

Premium Supplier 19th May 2022
Culinary Association of Wales Culinary Association of Wales

Chef is cutting short his honeymoon to cook for Wales in Abu Dhabi final

National Chef of Wales 2020 winner Sam Griffiths plans to cut short his honeymoon - with his prospective wife’s blessing - to represent Wales at a prestigious competition to find the world’s best chef. 


 Sam has been encouraged by his fiancée Bryony Holmes, whom he is to wed on May 23, to compete in Global Chefs Challenge Final at the Worldchefs Congress and Expo in Abu Dhabi from May 30 to June 2. 

 He flies out to the Middle East five days after the wedding and competes against chefs from 19 countries on June 1. He will be representing the Culinary Association of Wales. 

 “Bryony actually told me that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t do the competition,” said Sam, senior sous chef at the Chester Grosvenor in Chester, where he has worked for six years.

 “It’s a big competition and there will be a lot of pressure, but I have been asked to represent Wales and I am going to give it 100 per cent. I am a proud Welshman and this is the type of competition you hope to do when you become a chef.

 “I am looking forward to competing against chefs from different cultures,” added Sam who celebrates his 28th birthday in Abu Dhabi. “I have done as much preparation as I can and I am happy with my dishes, which are packed with flavour.” 

 A couple of the dishes are variations of his winning menu from the National Chef of Wales competition, which he won in 2020.

 The Global Chefs Challenge finalists must include certain ingredients in the four dishes. He will have five hours to prepare and cook 12 of each dish, which must be identical. 

 His menu opens with Szechuan baked pineapple, chilli, hazelnut and Koppertcress, followed by butter roasted halibut, whey, mussels and nori seaweed.  Main course is fillet, neck and sweetbread of veal, black garlic, eryngi mushroom and poached oyster and dessert is Bahibe 46% chocolate, clementine, bergamot and Dilmah Italian almond. 

 Sam, who lives in Saltney, will be assisted by David Palmer, who is originally from Hawarden but now works as a chef de partie at The Clove Club, London. 

 The Culinary Association of Wales’ newly appointed culinary director Graham Tinsley, MBE, executive chef at sous chef at Carden Park Hotel and Spa, near Chester, will support both Sam and Harry Paynter-Roberts, 24, who cooks for Wales in the Global Young Chefs Challenge finalist, in Abu Dhabi. 

 Harry, form Gronant, near Prestatyn, is a sous chef at Carden Park Hotel and Spa, and will be competing against seven of the world’s best young chefs.

 Picture caption:
Sam Griffiths who will be cutting short his honeymoon to represent Wales in Abu Dhabi.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.