Following his victory, Carberry will go on to compete against eight other Sodexo chefs from across the globe in the grand final which is being held in March 2026.
The global challenge, now in its third year, showcases the most talented chefs from within the Sodexo culinary community to unleash their creativity, showcase their love for food, and champion sustainability in the kitchen.
Last week Sodexo UK & Ireland’s three regional finalists Stacey Kniazeva, Roman Lovett and Gordon Carberry, travelled to Wittenheim in France for a three-day European semi-finals which included culinary workshops and training sessions before competing for the coveted place to represent the UK & Ireland in the grand finale.
Carberry was announced as the UK & Ireland winner, with his dish ‘Meacan Bán’ (Irish for parsnip). The dish comprises miso glazed parsnip, gouchujang, parsnip puree, popped chickpeas, wild rice, nori, citrus plant mayonnaise and crispy parsnip skins served with parsnip and apple shrub.
Commenting on the competition he said: “I love pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. I chose to take a humble ingredient and show it in as many different ways as I could. The experience so far has been incredible, all the finalists are talented colleagues, and I’m thrilled and honoured to be able to compete in the final.”
Each chef was asked to create one sustainable plant-forward or plant-based dish that showcases delicious global flavours and ingenuity with the use of ingredients, cooking techniques as well as incorporating a food waste element such as utilising trimmings, by-products or repurposing ingredients.
Criteria also included low-carbon recipe development, a focus on health and nutrition and that the dish must feature sustainably sourced, local and seasonal ingredients.
Matt Hay, head of culinary at Sodexo UK & Ireland, added: “This is a fantastic competition which showcases what our talented chefs are creating every day for our guests across the region.
“All three finalists have demonstrated exceptional culinary skills from creating the concept of the dish to the production of it in a high-pressured competition setting. The whole Sodexo culinary community will be supporting Gordon as he prepares for what will be an exciting live cook-off to find the 2026 winner.”