PROGRAM
*This session is a culinary demonstration
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 |
08:30 – 09:00 | Arrival and Pre-session Networking | ICC WALES | Global Pastry Chefs Challenge |
09:00 – 09:30 | Opening Ceremony Charles Carroll, Congress Committee Chairman Arwyn Watkins, OBE, President of Culinary Association of Wales Worldchefs Board Members Andrew Cuthbert, Worldchefs President First Minister of Wales Kazuki Kitaoka, Director for Youth & Women, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations | ICC WALES | |
09:30 – 09:40 | Parade of Nations | ICC WALES | |
09:40 – 10:10 | Culinary Demonstration Hywel Jones, Executive Chef/Director of Food & Beverage of One Michelin-starred Lucknam Park *Culinary Demonstration | ICC WALES | |
10:10 – 10:30 | From Brittany to the World: A Pastry Journey build on Discipline, Passion & People Eric Lanlard, Chef Owner of Cake-Boy ltd Brought to you by Nielsen Massey | ICC WALES | |
10:30 – 11:00 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:00 – 11:30 | Running A World-Famous Restaurant With A Menu That Changes Twice A Day Sian Wyn Owen, Executive Head Chef of One Michelin-starred The River Café | ICC WALES | |
11:30 – 12:00 | Dilmah Tea Omakase: Elevating guest experience through a curated tea journey Dilhan C. Fernando, Chairman – Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC & Peter Kuruvita, Award-winning chef & TV presenter Brought to you by Dilmah Tea *Culinary Demonstration | ICC WALES | |
12:00 – 12:30 | The AI-Powered Chef Rich Rosendale, Chief Vision Officer of Rosendale Collective | 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 – 14:30 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | Global Pastry Chefs Challenge Public viewing of final creations |
Continue your experience by following one of these following afternoon tracks | |||
AFTERNOON TRACK 1 14:30 – 15:30 | Unconventional Leadership Kurby Court, CEO of Calgary TELUS Convention Centre “A practical session for Presidents and Management of National Associations on building high-performance teams, strengthening leadership resilience, and leading effectively through adversity.” | ICC WALES | |
AFTERNOON TRACK 2 14:30 – 17:00 | Visit Culinary Expo! | ICC WALES | |
AFTERNOON TRACK 3 15:30 – 17:00 | One-on-one Meeting with Worldchefs Presidium RSVP required | WORLDCHEFS VILLAGE | |
19:30- 23:00 | WELCOME RECEPTION Dress Code: Chefs’ White / Smart Casual | ICC WALES | |
SUNDAY 17 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
08:30 – 09:00 | Arrival and Pre-session Networking | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Challenge |
09:00 – 09:20 | The Dragon Turns to Water: Chef German Lam Fights Cancer with a Freestyle Lifestyle German Lam, Mentor Chef Consulting | ICC WALES | |
09:20 – 09:45 | How Partnership Working Can Serve Up Policy On A Plate David Chapman, Executive Director of UK Hospitality Cymru | ICC WALES | |
09:45 – 10:05 | The Rise of the Hero Ingredient Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chairman Mark Serice, Vice-President of Custom Culinary & Griffith Food Brought to you by Custom Culinary | ICC WALES | |
10:05 – 10:25 | Future Ready Foodservice: Turning Nutrition & Sustainability into a Chef’s Competitive Edge Ana Isabel Aragon Rubio, Sustainability and Nutrition Manager Brought to you by Nestlé Professional | ICC WALES | |
10:25 – 11:05 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:05 – 11:30 | From Newport to the Bocuse d’Or Stage Tom Philips, Executive Chef of Two Michelin-starred Story | ICC WALES | |
11:30 – 11:50 | Revisiting Classic Chocolate Techniques for Today’s Kitchen Pierre Abi Hayla, Chocolatier, Pastry Chef, Consultant and Entrepreneur Brought to you by Ariane Porcelain *Culinary Demostration | ICC WALES | |
11:50- 12:30 | Education Forum Moderated by Ragnar Fridriksson, Worldchefs Managing Director | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Lunch Public viewing of final dishes Meal service by invitation only |
12:30 – 13:00 | Marco Pierre White, Chef, Restaurateur & Television Personality First British chef – youngest ever – to achieve three Michelin stars | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 14:30 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
14:30 – 15:00 | The Worldchefs Congress Tradition Official photography and Parade | ICC WALES | Visit Culinary Expo! |
AFTERNOON TRACK 1 15:00 – 17:00 | One-on-one Meeting with Worldchefs Presidium RSVP required | WORLDCHEFS VILLAGE | |
AFTERNOON TRACK 2 15:00 – 17:00 | Visit Culinary Expo! | ICC WALES | |
THIS IS YOUR FREE NIGHT | |||
MONDAY 18 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
08:30 – 09:00 | Arrival and Pre-session Networking | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Challenge |
09:00 – 09:25 | Capturing the Essence of Wild Food through Preservation Colin Wheeler-James, Owner of Ground Up Cookery School *Culinary Demonstration | ICC WALES | |
09:25 – 09:45 | Feed the Planet: Driving Global Impact Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chair Cosimo Scarano, Head of Electrolux Food Foundation | ICC WALES | |
09:45 – 10:25 | 2050 Menu A panel on the menus of the future and how industry can adapt in the wake of climate change. Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Project Coordinator of FoodChoices4Life Mark Serice, Vice-President of Custom Culinary & Griffith Food Vojtech Vegh, Zero-Waste Chef and Author Rich Rosendale, Chief Vision Officer of Rosendale Collective Moderated by Shonah Chalmers, Chair of Feed the Planet Brought to you by Winnow | ICC WALES | |
10:25 – 11:10 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:10 – 11:30 | Cooking with Natural Plants: Extracting Aromas and Flavours Franck Pontais, Koppert Cress Culinary & Country Manager – UK, Asia, Middle East Brought to you by Koppert Cress *Culinary Demonstration | ||
11:30 – 11:50 | Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honour: Rewriting Hospitality’s Culture Kris Hall, Founder & CEO of The Burnt Chef Project | ICC WALES | |
11:50 – 12:10 | Navigating the HEROIC Paradox Krumma Jonsdottir, Founder & Performance Strategist at Positive Performances | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Lunch Public viewing of final dishes Meal service by invitation only |
12:10 – 12:25 | Young Chefs Development Committee Jasper Jek, Young Chefs Chairman | ICC WALES | |
12:25 – 13:00 | Cooking Up the Future: What’s in Store for the Next Gen Kazuki Kitaoka, Director of Youth and Women, FAO Jonathan Davis, CEO of Levy for UK&Ireland and Young Chefs Carla Williams, Talent and Reward Manager – The Celtic Collection Moderated by Rosalyn Ediger, CEO of The Culinary Diplomacy Foundation of Canada | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 14:30 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
14:30 – 15:30 | FoodChoices4Life: A new opportunity to connect, act, and inspire Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Project Coordinator of FoodChoices4Life Vojtech Vegh, Zero-Waste Chef and Author Moderated by Graceanne Lacombe, Network Manager of FoodChoices4Life | ICC WALES | Global Vegan Chefs Challenge |
15:30 – 21:00 | Visit Culinary Expo! | ICC WALES | Global Vegan Chefs Dinner Public viewing of final dishes Meal service by invitation only |
THIS IS YOUR FREE NIGHT | |||
TUESDAY 19 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
08:30 – 09:00 | Arrival and Pre-session Networking | ICC WALES | Global Young Chefs Challenge |
09:00 – 09:05 | Worldchefs General Assembly – Call for Quorum | ICC WALES | |
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 – 10:30 | Presentation and voting of Statutes and Standing Rules John Sloane, ByLaw Committee Chairman | ICC WALES | Global Young Chefs Lunch Public viewing of final dishes No Meal service |
10:30 – 11:10 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:10 – 11:25 | International Chefs Day Vanessa Marquis, International Chefs Day Chairman | ICC WALES | |
11:25 – 11:40 | Competition Culinary Committee Rick Stephen, Competition Culinary Committee Chairman | ICC WALES | |
11:40 – 12:00 | World Chefs Without Borders Willment Leong & Árni Arnórsson, World Chefs Without Borders Chairman Partnership with purpose with World Central Kitchen | ICC WALES | |
12:00 – 12:30 | Honorary Life Membership Ceremony Presidents’ Medals Ceremony Life Achievement Award | ICC WALES | Visit Culinary Expo! |
12:30 – 12:50 | Worldchefs Congress Paris 2028 – Handing over the Bell & Update Live Vocal Performance by Katherine Jenkins, World-Renowned Mezzo-Soprano | 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 Culinary Expo! | 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 session is exclusively for Young Chefs.
*This session is a culinary demonstration
FRIDAY 15 MAY 2026 – ARRIVAL DAY ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | ||
|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location |
13.00 – 13:30 | Arrival at Premier Inn Cardiff North *Young Chefs Only | PREMIER INN CARDIFF NORTH |
13.30 – 14:00 | Registration Process Bus available to take you to ICC to register *Young Chefs Only | ICC WALES |
14.00 – 17.00 | Team Building *Young Chefs Only | ICC WALES |
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 – 09:35 | Arrival and Pre-session Networking | ICC WALES | Global Pastry Chefs Challenge |
09:00 – 09:30 | Opening Ceremony Charles Carroll, Congress Committee Chairman Arwyn Watkins, OBE, President of Culinary Association of Wales Worldchefs Board Members Andrew Cuthbert, Worldchefs President First Minister of Wales Kazuki Kitaoka, Director for Youth & Women, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations | ICC WALES | |
09:30 – 09:40 | Parade of Nations | ICC WALES | |
09:40 – 10:10 | Culinary Demonstration Hywel Jones, Executive Chef/Director of Food & Beverage of One Michelin-starred Lucknam Park *Culinary Demonstration | ICC WALES | |
10:10 – 10:30 | From Brittany to the World: A Pastry Journey build on Discipline, Passion & People Eric Lanlard, Chef Owner of Cake-Boy ltd Brought to you by Nielsen Massey | ICC WALES | |
10:30 – 11:00 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:00 – 11:30 | Running A World-Famous Restaurant With A Menu That Changes Twice A Day Sian Wyn Owen, Executive Head Chef of One Michelin-starred The River Café | ICC WALES | |
11:30 – 12:00 | Dilmah Tea Omakase: Elevating guest experience through a curated tea journey Dilhan C. Fernando, Chairman – Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC & Peter Kuruvita, Award-winning chef & TV presenter Brought to you by Dilmah Tea *Culinary Demonstration | ICC WALES | |
12:00 – 12:30 | The AI-Powered Chef Rich Rosendale, Chief Vision Officer of Rosendale Collective | 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 | Global Pastry Chefs Public viewing of final creations |
14:00 – 16:00 | Forage with Young Chefs Colin Wheeler-James, Owner of Ground Up Cookery School *Young Chefs Only | WOODLAND TRAIL | |
19:30- 23:00 | WELCOME RECEPTION Dress Code: Chefs’ White / Smart Casual | ICC WALES | |
SUNDAY 17 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
08:30 – 09:00 | Arrival and Pre-session Networking | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Challenge |
09:00 – 09:20 | The Dragon Turns to Water: Chef German Lam Fights Cancer with a Freestyle Lifestyle German Lam, Mentor Chef Consulting | ICC WALES | |
09:20 – 09:45 | How Partnership Working Can Serve Up Policy On A Plate David Chapman, Executive Director of UKHospitality Cymru | ICC WALES | |
09:45 – 10:05 | The Rise of the Hero Ingredient Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chairman Mark Serice, Vice-President of Custom Culinary & Griffith Food Brought to you by Custom Culinary | ICC WALES | |
10:05 – 10:25 | Future Ready Foodservice: Turning Nutrition & Sustainability into a Chef’s Competitive Edge Ana Isabel Aragon Rubio, Sustainability and Nutrition Manager Brought to you by Nestlé Professional | ICC WALES | |
10:25 – 11:05 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:05- 11:30 | From Newport to the Bocuse d’Or Stage Tom Philips, Executive Chef of Two Michelin-starred Story | ICC WALES | |
11:30 – 11:50 | Revisiting Classic Chocolate Techniques for Today’s Kitchen Pierre Abi Hayla, Chocolatier, Pastry Chef, Consultant and Entrepreneur Brought to you by Ariane Porcelain *Culinary Demostration | ICC WALES | |
11:50 – 12:30 | Education Forum Moderated by Ragnar Fridriksson, Worldchefs Managing Director | ICC WALES | |
12:30 – 13:00 | Marco Pierre White, Chef, Restaurateur & Television Personality First British chef – youngest ever – to achieve three Michelin stars | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Lunch Public viewing of final dishes Meal service by invitation only |
13:00 – 14:30 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
14:30 – 15:00 | The Worldchefs Congress Tradition Official photography and Parade | ICC WALES | Visit Culinary Expo! |
15:00 – 16:00 | Face-to-Face Session with Marco Pierre White, First British chef – youngest ever – to achieve three Michelin stars & Tom Philips, Executive Chef of Two Michelin-starred Story Get the chance to speak with one of our inspiring speakers! *Young Chefs Only | ICC WALES | |
18:00 – 20:00 | Dinner at Tiny Rebel Drinks at your own cost, transport back to Premier Inn Cardiff North *Young Chefs Only | TINY REBEL | |
MONDAY 18 MAY 2026 ALL DAY REGISTRATION – ICC WALES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Time | Session | Location | GLOBAL CHEFS CHALLENGE FINALS |
08:30 – 09:00 | Arrival and Pre-session Networking | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Challenge |
09:00 – 09:25 | Capturing the Essence of Wild Food through Preservation Colin Wheeler-James, Owner of Ground Up Cookery School *Culinary Demostration | ICC WALES | |
09:25 – 09:45 | Feed the Planet: Driving Global Impact Shonah Chalmers, Feed the Planet Chair Cosimo Scarano, Head of Electrolux Food Foundation | ICC WALES | |
09:45 – 10:25 | Menu 2025 A panel on the menus of the future and how industry can adapt in the wake of climate change. Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Project Coordinator of FoodChoices4Life Mark Serice, Vice-President of Custom Culinary & Griffith Food Vojtech Vegh, Zero-Waste Chef and Author Rich Rosendale, Chief Vision Officer of Rosendale Collective Moderated by Shonah Chalmers, Chair of Feed the Planet Brought to you by Winnow | ICC WALES | |
10:25 – 11:10 | THIS IS BREAK TIME! Stretch your legs and grab a coffee! | ICC WALES | |
11:10 – 11:30 | Cooking with Natural Plants: Extracting Aromas and Flavours Franck Pontais, Koppert Cress Culinary & Country Manager – UK, Asia, Middle East Brought to you by Koppert Cress *Culinary Demostration | ICC WALES | |
11:30 – 11:50 | Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honour: Rewriting Hospitality’s Culture Kris Hall, Founder & CEO of The Burnt Chef Project | ICC WALES | |
11:50 – 12:10 | Navigating the HEROIC Paradox Krumma Jonsdottir, Founder & Performance Strategist at Positive Performances | ICC WALES | Global Chefs Lunch Public viewing of final dishes Meal service by invitation only |
12:10 – 12:25 | Young Chefs Development Committee Jasper Jek, Young Chefs Chairman | ICC WALES | |
12:25 – 13:00 | Cooking Up the Future: What’s in Store for the Next Gen Kazuki Kitaoka, Director of Youth and Women, FAO Jonathan Davis, CEO of Levy for UK&Ireland and Young Chefs Carla Williams, Talent and Reward Manager – The Celtic Collection Moderated by Rosalyn Ediger, CEO of The Culinary Diplomacy Foundation of Canada | ICC WALES | |
13:00 – 14:30 | THIS IS LUNCH TIME! | ICC WALES | |
14:30 – 15:30 | FoodChoices4Life: A new opportunity to connect, act, and inspire Marta Antonelli, Ph.D., Food & Sustainability Expert and Coordinator of FoodChoices4Life Vojtech Vegh, Zero-Waste Chef and Author Moderated by Graceanne Lacombe, Network Manager of FoodChoices4Life | AUDITORIUM | Global Vegan Chefs Challenge |
15:30 – 16:30 | Face to Face Session with Sian Wyn Owen, Executive Head Chef of One Michelin-starred The River Café Get the chance to speak with one of our inspiring speakers! *Young Chefs Only | AUDITORIUM | |
16:30 – 17:30 | Face to Face Session with Nestle Professional Get the chance to speak with one of our inspiring speakers! *Young Chefs Only | AUDITORIUM | |
17:30 – 18:30 | Visit Culinary Expo! | ICC WALES | Global Vegan Chefs Dinner Public viewing of final dishes Meal service by invitation only |
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 *Young Chefs Only | CARDIFF MARKET | Global Young Chefs Challenge |
12:30 – 12:40 | Worldchefs Congress Paris 2028 – Handing over the Bell & Update | ICC WALES | Visit Culinary Expo! |
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! *Young Chefs Only | AUDITORIUM | |
15:30 – 16:30 | Face to Face Session with Kazuki Kitaoka & Flora Igoe, FAO Get the chance to speak with one of our inspiring speakers! *Young Chefs Only | AUDITORIUM | |
16:30 – 17:00 | Visit Culinary Expo! | 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! |
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