Sam Everton, a 26-year-old catering lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion, followed in the footstep of Danny Burke from Connah’s Quay who achieved back to back wins 25 years ago.

Sam beat nine rival National Chef of Wales finalists at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) to add another prestigious honour to his trophy cabinet. Held at the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), the WICC is organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW).

The finalists were given three hours to cook three courses for 12 diners featuring GI Welsh ingredients and Cygnet Gin. The menu had to include a plant-based starter suitable for a vegan diet, a main course featuring two different cuts of GI Welsh Beef and a dessert featuring hot, cold and chocolate elements and a biscuit or tuille.

He cooked a starter of PGI leek and seaweed mosaic, puffed potato and yeast, followed by a main course of Ceredigion beef fillet, beef cheek tartlet, truffle and preserved allium. Dessert was 54% chocolate cremeux with Welsh honey butter, yoghurt and Barti rum.

Sam will now represent Wales in the Global Chef Challenge final at next year’s Worldchefs Congress & Expo which is being held in Wales and the UK for the first time. The event is being hosted the Culinary Association of  Wales (CAW) at ICC Wales.

Commenting on his win, Sam said: “I decided to enter after hearing last year that Danny was the only chef to win the competitions back to back, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would win.

“It’s a privilege to win and another one to tick off my bucket list. It’s a big year ahead with a lot of planning and I’m excited to see what the future holds. Hopefully, I can win a medal at the Global Chef Challenge on home soil next year.”

Rebekah Wright from Ebbw Vale beat Matthew Owen, her colleague at Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, to second place and was also second in the Welsh Vegan Chef final. The other finalists were: Wayne Barnard, Patrick Millard, Gareth Jenkins, Pratik Bhandarkar, Sam Rust, Narberth and Jordan Howorth.