Students Thrive at National Culinary Competition

Ten talented culinary students from City of Glasgow College have achieved outstanding success at the prestigious Scottish Chefs Skills Challenge, held at the Scottish Event Campus as part of Taste of Lomond on Wednesday 25 March 2026.

Organised by Scottish Chefs, the competition brings together some of the country’s most promising young chefs aged 23 and under, challenging them to demonstrate technical skill, creativity and professionalism in a live, high-pressure environment.

The College team delivered an exceptional performance across the day’s categories, securing the overall plate trophy for fruit and vegetable preparation, alongside an impressive haul of medals. Their achievements included three gold medals, one of which was recognised with a coveted Top in Class plate, as well as four silver and four bronze medals, reflecting the depth of talent across the group.

Students competed in specialist areas including fruit and vegetable preparation, fish preparation and chicken sauté, taking part both individually and as part of teams.

The group represented a cross-section of programmes including HND Professional Cookery and NQ courses. Among those competing were Jamie Robb, Jonty Gray, Bo-Sapphire Harvey, Cadhan O’Neill, Brandon Judge, Dylan Stensland, Joshua Watson, Donovan McIntyre and Lukasz Lejkowski.

They were supported throughout by lecturers Gemma Slater and Robbie Phillips, who guided the students through intensive training in the lead-up to the competition.

Speaking after the event, Gemma Slater said:
“This is a fantastic achievement for our students. Their hard work, focus and dedication really paid off on the day. Competing at this level not only builds confidence but gives them invaluable experience and exposure to the industry. We are incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

This experience will also play a key role in preparing students for larger national competitions such as ScotHot, while supporting the College’s continued progress towards achieving Culinary School of Excellence status.

This outstanding result highlights the strength of culinary training at City of Glasgow College and reinforces its reputation for developing the next generation of top chefs.