20/05/2026
Day 4 – Final Day of Congress
What a way to finish!
We had a very early start, up before dawn to catch the opening of the Global Young Chef competition — loudly cheering on our two Australian competitors from the sidelines.
The morning then took an unexpected and fascinating turn with an impromptu introduction and tasting from Koppert Cress, a Dutch producer growing more than 80 varieties of microgreens and cresses. These are ingredients often misunderstood or underused by chefs, but Franck Pontaise completely opened our eyes, and our palates, to fuller flavour and their potential. Truly inspiring.
Next, we headed into Cardiff to visit the Central Market (est. 1891). A real highlight was the Welsh cake stall — hot, straight off the plate, somewhere between a scone and a pancake, dotted with raisins… and absolutely delicious. We also explored the fish market and sampled fresh rock oysters (though I’ll admit — our Pacific oysters still hold their own!).
With all the Congress Young Chefs together, proudly in our chef whites - we made a return visit to Cardiff Castle for a fantastic group photo.
Back at the convention centre, we shared lunch followed by more panel discussions before preparing for the evening’s black-tie gala dinner. And what a night it was!
Seeing the young chefs out of their whites and into their glad rags was something special — sharp, confident, and clearly stepping onto the international stage as true culinary ambassadors. Watching them connect - not only with each other, but with senior chefs from around the world, was incredibly rewarding.
The formal four-course dinner and presentation of competition awards was a fitting conclusion to what has been a rich, inspiring, and unforgettable four days.
A heartfelt thank you once again to our sponsors, friends, family, and all our supporters — we couldn’t do this without you.
