A talented team of young Welsh chefs are in Luxembourg preparing to ‘cook up a storm’ at the Culinary World Cup this weekend. The Junior Culinary Team Wales will be competing against 15 other teams from around the world at the culinary event.  

The competition comprises two different elements:

• A Restaurant of Nations hot kitchen when teams must prepare a three-course menu for 70 people
• A ‘Table of Fire’ which will see teams prepare four different kinds of cold and hot finger food, a cold, festive fish or seafood platter, hot main courses and dessert for 12 people

The team is captained by Calum Smith who is pastry chef at a private school in Shrewsbury. He will be joined by Harry Paynter-Roberts, Sion Hughes, Stephanie Belcher, Harry Osborne and Jay Rees. Squad members, who will be supporting the team in Luxembourg, include Amira Milner, Heather Spencer and Pippa Taylor.

Junior Culinary Team Wales is managed by Michael Kirkham-Evans, a lecturer at the Grŵp Llandrillo Menai campus in Rhos-on-Sea campus and coached by Danny Burke, co-owner of Olive Tree Catering, Runcorn and former Senior Culinary Team Wales captain.

Graham Tinsley, MBE, the Culinary Association of Wales’ culinary director, said: “The junior team has great potential because the chefs are very dedicated, have practised hard and have created some great dishes. They have gelled together really well under the leadership of Mike, who is a good organiser and Danny, who is a very good chef with a lot of competition experience.”