The Generation Chef Competition
How Generation Chef runs from kitchen heat to all-island final — the rounds, the format, the brief, and what the judges are watching for.
The Generation Chef competition: a twelve-week season, six regional finals, one champion team
Each catering college on the island runs its own regional final — a working professional kitchen, a fixed brief, a clock. Teams of three student chefs are scored on technique, plating, service, and how they work together under pressure. The team that finishes top at each college earns their place in the inter-college final, where six regional winners cook for the overall title.
What teams cook
The brief changes year to year but the shape is consistent: a multi-course menu, often with a sustainability or local-sourcing theme, prepared from a set ingredient list within a strict service window. Teams plan their menu in the weeks beforehand, then have to execute it cleanly on the day — prep, hot pass, plating, and timed service to industry judges.
Regional college finals
Six heats. Then the final.
The season typically runs from early March to early May each year, with the national final held shortly after.
Round 1
South Eastern Regional College
SERC — early March
Round 2
North West Regional College
NWRC — mid March
Round 3
Southern Regional College
SRC — late March
Round 4
Northern Regional College
NRC — late March
Round 5
Belfast Metropolitan College
Belfast Met — late March
Round 6
South West College
SWC — early April
Inter-College Final
All-island championship
Six regional winners cook for the overall title — early May
Judging
What the judges are looking for
Industry chefs and hotel professionals make up the judging panel at every round. Their scoring covers four broad areas:
- Technique — knife skills, cooking methods, time management, and the cleanliness of the work.
- Plating & presentation — how the dish looks when it lands on the pass, and how consistently across the table.
- Flavour & balance — seasoning, temperature, the brief honoured.
- Service & teamwork — how three people move around a small kitchen, who calls what, how the pressure is shared.