Corporate Responsibility
Better Tomorrow Celebration Book
Cook for Change! The recipe for success: insights from last year’s winning chefs
The countdown is on. The final of this year’s Cook for Change! competition is just a few weeks away. The competition – now in its 4th year – is where the crème de la crème of Sodexo chefs, serving our clients and consumers around the globe, come together to showcase exceptional culinary talent.
We asked last year’s winners to share their advice with the chefs preparing to compete in the Grande Finale later in March. Drawing on their own experience of the competition, they have offered practical tips to help the chef finalists perform at their very best on the day. These tips could be applied by any chef, whether entering a competition or perfecting a signature dish, and demonstrate the exceptional standards our chefs deliver for our clients and consumers all over the world.
Practice for the day in a different kitchen than the one you work in every day, get out of your comfort zone
Always have confidence in yourselves and in your dish. Do not make any changes on the day of the competition just because you see what others are doing.
You can have the best story, the best intention, the best zero waste logic - but if the plate doesn’t deliver on flavor, you won’t move forward.
Start fast go all out for 20 minutes then look at where you are up to and pace your time out from there, get your hardest jobs out of the way first.
If you treat every ingredient as something valuable, everything else falls into place.
Tell the story of your dish - clearly and consciously. Show that you understand what you’re cooking and why.
Approach the day with a positive mindset and the determination to win. Getting this far is already a victory.
Most importantly enjoy the day, it’s a great competition, meeting some fantastic chefs from Sodexo
What is cook for change?
Cook for Change! is our annual global chef challenge. Competing chefs create delicious dishes which incorporate sustainably sourced ingredients and clever food waste solutions.
Our chefs from all over the world have entered the challenge and the regional semi-finals took place during October 2025. The final will be taking place later this month in London, England and you can read about all the Sodexo chefs who will be competing here.
This challenge showcases the amazing culinary talent we have across our organization, the chefs serving you and your teams around the world. The competition also providing learning and development opportunities for our fantastic chefs. A career with Sodexo isn’t just a job, it’s a career and a place to grow, develop and win competitions.
Stay up to date with the latest on this year’s competition
Re-live the highlights from our last eco-chef extravaganza.
More from Sodexo
Corporate Responsibility
Fiscal 2025 Sustainability Report
Food
AI the vital ingredient in workplace dining that fuels community
Food
Exceeding expectations, one dessert at a time
