PROGRAM
*This program is subjected to changes
FRIDAY 15 MAY 2026 – ARRIVAL DAY ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | ||
|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location |
19:00 – 22:30 | Ice Breaker Reception Dress Code: Business Casual | ICC WALES |
SATURDAY 16 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 09:05 | Welcome Charles Carroll, Congress Committee Chairman | ICC WALES | GLOBAL PASTRY CHEFS CHALLENGE |
09:05 – 09:10 | Opening Remarks Arwyn Watkins, OBE, President of Culinary Association of Wales | ICC WALES | |
09:10 – 09:13 | Introduction of Worldchefs Board Members | ICC WALES | |
09:13 – 09:18 | Presidential Address Andrew Cuthbert, Worldchefs President | ICC WALES | |
09:18 – 09:28 | Welcome Remarks First Minister of Wales | ICC WALES | |
09:28 – 09:33 | Live Vocal Performance Katherine Jenkins, World-Renowned Mezzo-Soprano | ICC WALES | |
09:33 – 09:43 | Parade of Nations | ICC WALES | |
09:43 – 10:13 | Presentation by Chef Eric Lanlard Brought to you by Nielsen Massey | ICC WALES | |
10:13 – 10:43 | Culinary Demonstration Hywel Jones, Executive Chef/Director of Food & Beverage of Lucknam Park | ICC WALES | |
10:43 – 11:00 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:00 – 11:30 | Presentation & Demonstration Presented by Dilmah Tea | ICC WALES | |
11:30 – 12:00 | Running A World-Famous Restaurant With A Menu That Changes Twice A Day Sian Wyn Owen, Executive Head Chef of The River Café | ICC WALES | |
12:00 – 12:30 | Presentation brought to you by Fonterra | ICC WALES | |
12:30 – 13:00 | The Daily Veal Edgar Buhrs, The Veal Chef & Patricia van Krieken, Marketing Manager at VanDrie Group Brought to you by Van Drie | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 15:00 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
Continue your experience by following one of these following afternoon tracks | |||
AFTERNOON TRACK 1 15:00 – 16:00 | BREAK OUT SESSION: Competition Forum Discussion / President only | ICC WALES | |
AFTERNOON TRACK 2 15:00 – 16:00 | Visit Expo and check out the Global Chefs Challenge Finals! | ICC WALES | |
19:30- 23:00 | WELCOME RECEPTION Dress Code: Chefs’ White / Smart Casual | ICC WALES | |
THIS IS YOUR FREE NIGHT | |||
SUNDAY 17 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 09:20 | World Chefs Without Borders Willment Leong, World Chefs Without Borders Chairman | ICC WALES | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE |
09:20 – 09:50 | How Partnership Working Can Serve Up Policy On A Plate David Chapman, Executive Director of UKHospitality Cymru | ICC WALES | |
09:50 – 10:10 | Live Demostration with Hero Ingredients Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chairman Mark Serice, Vice-President of Custom Culinary & Griffith Food | ICC WALES | |
10:10 – 10:30 | Chef Engineer 101 with Al today German Lam, Mentor Chef Consulting | ICC WALES | |
10:30 – 11:00 | Revisiting Classic Chocolate Techniques for Today’s Kitchen Pierre Abi Hayla, Chocolatier, Pastry Chef, Consultant and Entrepreneur Presented by Ariane Porcelain | ICC WALES | |
11:00 – 11:20 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:20 – 11:50 | Cooking with Natural Plants: Extracting Aromas and Flavours Franck Pontais, Koppert Cress Culinary & Country Manager – UK, Asia, Middle East Presented by Koppert Cress | ICC WALES | |
11:50 – 12:30 | Panel Discussion | ICC WALES | |
12:30 – 13:00 | Culinary Demonstration Tom Philips, Executive Chef of Two Michelin-starred Story | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 15:00 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
Continue your experience by following one of these following afternoon tracks | |||
AFTERNOON TRACK 1 15:00 – 16:00 | BREAK OUT SESSION: Education Forum TBD | ICC WALES | |
16:00 – 16:30 | The Worldchefs Congress Tradition Official photography and Parade | ICC WALES | |
AFTERNOON TRACK 2 15:00 – 17:00 | Visit Expo and check out the Global Chefs Challenge Finals! | ICC WALES | |
THIS IS YOUR FREE NIGHT | |||
MONDAY 18 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 09:25 | The AI-Powered Chef Rich Rosendale, Chief Vision Officer of Rosendale Collective | ICC WALES | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE & GLOBAL VEGAN CHEFS CHALLENGE |
09:25 – 09:50 | Capturing the Essence of Wild Food through Preservation Colin Wheeler-James, Owner of Ground Up Cookery School | ICC WALES | |
09:50 – 10:10 | Feed The Planet Committee Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chairman | ICC WALES | |
10:10 – 10:50 | 2050 Menu A panel on the menus of the future and how industry can adapt in the wake of climate change and restricted ressources. Moderated by Shonah Chalmers, Chair of Feed the Planet Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Project Coordinator of FoodChoice4Life Mark Serice, Vice-President of Custom Culinary & Griffith Food | ICC WALES | |
10:50 – 11:10 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:10 – 11:40 | Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honour: Rewriting Hospitality’s Culture Kris Hall, Founder & CEO of The Burnt Chef Project | ICC WALES | |
11:40 – 12:00 | Navigating the HEROIC Paradox Krumma Jonsdottir, Founder & Performance Strategist at Positive Performances | ICC WALES | |
12:00 – 12:20 | Young Chefs Development Committee Jasper Jek, Young Chefs Chairman | ICC WALES | |
12:20 – 13:00 | Shaping the Future of the Culinary Industry A Discussion with Jon Davies, CEO of Levy for UK&Ireland and Young Chefs | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 15:00 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
AFTERNOON TRACK 1 15:00 – 16:00 | FoodChoice4Life: A new opportunity to connect, act, and inspire Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Project Coordinator of FoodChoice4Life Moderated by Graceanne Lacombe, Networking Manager of FoodChoice4Life | ICC WALES | |
AFTERNOON TRACK 2 15:00 – 17:00 | Visit Expo and check out the Global Chefs Challenge Finals! | ICC WALES | |
THIS IS YOUR FREE NIGHT | |||
TUESDAY 19 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 09:05 | Worldchefs General Assembly – Call for Quorum | ICC WALES | GLOBAL YOUNG CHEFS CHALLENGE |
09:05 – 09:15 | Opening Remark by Worldchefs President | ICC WALES | |
09:15 – 09:25 | Ratification of New Continental Directors | ICC WALES | |
09:25 – 09:45 | Worldchefs Activity and Financial Report Ragnar Fridriksson, Worldchefs Managing Director | ICC WALES | |
09:45 – 10:25 | Presentation and voting of Statutes and Standing Rules | ICC WALES | |
10:25 – 11:00 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:00 – 11:20 | International Chefs Day Vanessa Marquis, International Chefs Day Chairman | ICC WALES | |
11:20 – 11:45 | Speaker Session | ICC WALES | |
11:45 – 12:10 | Competition Culinary Committee Rick Stephen, Competition Culinary Committee Chairman | ICC WALES | |
12:10 – 12:40 | Honorary Life Membership Ceremony Presidents’ Medals Ceremony Life Achievement Award | ICC WALES | |
12:40 – 12:50 | Worldchefs Congress Paris 2028 – Handing over the Bell & Update | ICC WALES | |
12:50 – 13:00 | Closing Remark by Worldchefs President | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 14:30 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
14:30 – 17:00 | Visit Expo and check out the Global Chefs Challenge Finals! | ICC WALES | |
19:30 – 23:00 | GALA DINNER Dress Code: Black Tie / Chefs’ White for Competitors | ICC WALES | |
WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Do you want to stay longer in Wales? Reach out to us to organize your trip together! |
*This program is subjected to changes
FRIDAY 15 MAY 2026 – ARRIVAL DAY ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | ||
|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location |
13.00 – 13:30 | Arrival at Newport Student Village | NEWPORT STUDENT VILLAGE |
13.30 – 14:00 | Registration Process * Bus available to take you to ICC to register | NEWPORT STUDENT VILLAGE |
14.00 – 17.00 | Team Building | CELTIC MANOR RESORT |
19:00 – 22:30 | ICE BREAKER RECEPTION Dress Code: Business Casual | ICC WALES |
SATURDAY 16 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 09:05 | Welcome Charles Carroll, Congress Committee Chairman | ICC WALES | GLOBAL PASTRY CHEFS CHALLENGE |
09:05 – 09:10 | Opening Remarks Arwyn Watkins, OBE, President of Culinary Association of Wales | ICC WALES | |
09:10 – 09:13 | Introduction of Worldchefs Board Members | ICC WALES | |
09:13 – 09:18 | Presidential Address Andrew Cuthbert, Worldchefs President | ICC WALES | |
09:18 – 09:28 | Welcome Remarks First Minister of Wales | ICC WALES | |
09:28 – 09:33 | Live Vocal Performance Katherine Jenkins, World-Renowned Mezzo-Soprano | ICC WALES | |
09:33 – 09:43 | Parade of Nations | ICC WALES | |
09:43 – 10:13 | Presentation by Chef Eric Lanlard Brought to you by Nielsen Massey | ICC WALES | |
10:13 – 10:43 | Culinary Demonstration Hywel Jones, Executive Chef/Director of Food & Beverage of Lucknam Park | ICC WALES | |
10:43 – 11:00 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:00 – 11:30 | Presentation & Demonstration Presented by Dilmah Tea | ICC WALES | |
11:30 – 12:00 | Running A World-Famous Restaurant With A Menu That Changes Twice A Day Sian Wyn Owen, Executive Head Chef of The River Café | ICC WALES | |
12:00 – 12:30 | Presentation brought to you by Fonterra | ICC WALES | |
12:30 – 13:00 | The Daily Veal Edgar Buhrs, The Veal Chef & Patricia van Krieken, Marketing Manager at VanDrie Group Brought to you by Van Drie | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 14:00 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
Continue your experience by following one of these following afternoon tracks | |||
14:00 – 16:00 | Forage with Young Chefs Colin Wheeler-James, Owner of Ground Up Cookery School | WOODLAND TRAIL | |
19:30- 23:00 | WELCOME RECEPTION Dress Code: Chefs’ White / Smart Casual | ICC WALES | |
THIS IS YOUR FREE NIGHT | |||
SUNDAY 17 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 09:20 | World Chefs Without Borders Willment Leong, World Chefs Without Borders Chairman | ICC WALES | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE |
09:20 – 09:50 | How Partnership Working Can Serve Up Policy On A Plate David Chapman, Executive Director of UKHospitality Cymru | ICC WALES | |
09:50 – 10:10 | Live Demonstration with Hero Ingredients Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chairman | ICC WALES | |
10:10 – 10:30 | Chef Engineer 101 with Al today German Lam, Mentor Chef Consulting | ICC WALES | |
10:30 – 11:00 | Revisiting Classic Chocolate Techniques for Today’s Kitchen Pierre Abi Hayla, Chocolatier, Pastry Chef, Consultant and Entrepreneur Presented by Ariane Porcelain | ICC WALES | |
11:00 – 11:20 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:20 – 11:50 | Cooking with Natural Plants: Extracting Aromas and Flavours Franck Pontais, Koppert Cress Culinary & Country Manager – UK, Asia, Middle East Presented by Koppert Cress | ICC WALES | |
11:50 – 12:30 | Panel Discussion | ICC WALES | |
12:30 – 13:00 | Culinary Demonstration Tom Philips, Executive Chef of Two Michelin-starred Story | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 14:00 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
14:00 – 18:00 | Museum Visit at Big Pit National Coal Museum | BLAENAFON | |
18:00 – 20:00 | Dinner at Tiny Rebel * Drinks at your own cost, transport back to your accomodation provided | TINY REBEL | |
MONDAY 18 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 09:25 | The AI-Powered Chef Rich Rosendale, Chief Vision Officer of Rosendale Collective | ICC WALES | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE & GLOBAL VEGAN CHEFS CHALLENGE |
09:25 – 09:50 | Capturing the Essence of Wild Food through Preservation Colin Wheeler-James, Owner of Ground Up Cookery School | ICC WALES | |
09:50 – 10:10 | Feed The Planet Committee Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chair | ICC WALES | |
10:10 – 10:50 | 2050 Menu A panel on surviving the loss of natural resources — what happens when the planet runs dry? A panel on the menus of the future and how industry can adapt in the wake of climate change and restricted ressources. Moderated by Shonah Chalmers, Chair of Feed the Planet Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Project Coordinator of FoodChoice4Life Mark Serice, Vice-President of Custom Culinary & Griffith Food | ICC WALES | |
10:50 – 11:10 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:10 – 11:40 | Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honour: Rewriting Hospitality’s Culture Kris Hall, Founder & CEO of The Burnt Chef Project | ICC WALES | |
11:40 – 12:00 | Navigating the HEROIC Paradox Krumma Jonsdottir, Founder & Performance Strategist at Positive Performances | ICC WALES | |
12:00 – 12:20 | Young Chefs Development Committee Jasper Jek, Chairman | ICC WALES | |
12:20 – 13:00 | Shaping the Future of the Culinary Industry A Discussion with Jonathan Davis, CEO of Levy for UK&Ireland and Young Chefs | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 15:00 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
15:00 – 16:00 | FoodChoice4Life: A new opportunity to connect, act, and inspire Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Coordinator of FoodChoice4Life Moderated by Graceanne Lacombe, Networking Manager of FoodChoice4Life | AUDITORIUM | |
16:00 – 17:00 | Face to Face Session with Sian Wyn Owen, Executive Head Chef of The River Café Get the chance to speak with one of our inspiring speakers! | AUDITORIUM | |
Free Night | |||
TUESDAY 19 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
09:00 – 12:30 | Field Trip to Cardiff Market for Workshops and Masterclasses * Topics to be announced soon | CARDIFF MARKET | GLOBAL YOUNG CHEFS CHALLENGE |
12:30 – 12:40 | Worldchefs Congress Paris 2028 – Handing over the Bell & Update | ICC WALES | |
12:40 – 12:50 | Closing Remark by Worldchefs President | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 14:30 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
14:30 – 15:30 | Face to Face Session with Kris Hall, Founder & CEO of The Burnt Chef Project Get the chance to speak with one of our inspiring speakers! | ICC WALES | |
15:30 – 16:30 | Watch & support Global Young chefs Challenge | ICC WALES | |
19:30 – 23:00 | GALA DINNER Dress Code: Black Tie / Chefs’ White for Competitors | ICC WALES | |
WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Do you want to stay longer in Wales? Reach out to us to organize your trip together! |