Hospitality in Healthcare Culinary Competition returns for 2026!
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The annual Hospitality in Healthcare Culinary Competition is back for 2026, with the final cook-off scheduled to be held at Wrest Point, Hobart on the evening of Tuesday 13 October, as part of the 43rd Hospitality in Healthcare National Conference.
Once again the four finalist teams will pit their skills against their peers and against the clock, showcasing their creativity before a panel of expert judges. This year well known chef and hospitality trainer Glenn Flood will be acting as master of ceremonies for the event.
Proudly sponsored by UNOX, Moffat, Bega Foodservice, Meyer Food Co. and Nestlé Professional, the competition has been designed to publicly acknowledge the culinary skills of chefs and cooks in health and aged care – whose talents often go unrecognised.
“These professionals go the extra mile to provide patients and residents with quality food”
“Not only do these professionals go the extra mile to provide patients and residents with quality food, which plays an important role in maintaining their nutritional health and wellbeing, they also typically have to work within budget constraints which are much tougher than in regular foodservice,” says Event Organiser Brendan Host.
2025 winning team was Steph Park (pictured here with the 2025 judging panel) and Rajesh pundir from STARS Hospital Brisbane for their Crispy Duck Breast with Citrus Pumpkin, Cacao Granola, Beetroot and Spiced Gastrique
“Our competition is designed to raise the profile of these essential workers and the fact that they work day in and day out to produce the best meals possible which are not only appealing and satisfying but also have to be nutritionally sound and cost-effective.”
“Our competition is designed to raise the profile of these essential workers ”
These elements play a role in the competition itself, with entries required to adhere to a food cost of no more than $8.50 per finished plate and nutritional guidelines specifying a maximum of 3000kJ per dish, with less than 23g fat (maximum of 30 per cent of total kJ) and less than 750mg sodium. A nutritional analysis signed off by an accredited practising dietitian must be included with the entry.
The competition is open to anyone regularly employed within health and aged care, with teams consisting of any two of the following: chef/cook, director/manager, accredited practising dietitian (APD) and senior leader and/or staff of foodservice team. Each team is required to choose from a list of key ingredients drawn from two market baskets.
Entries close July 24 at 5pm AEST, with full details including terms and conditions and a link to the entry form at https://www.ihhc.org.au/culinary-competition.
All entries submitted will be reviewed by the Culinary Competition planning committee who will select the finalists based on originality/innovation, applicability to the healthcare foodservice environment, use of colour and texture and overall plate presentation.
Those chosen as finalists will have 30 minutes’ preparation time prior to the cook-off to undertake mis en place, then 45 minutes to prepare five portions of a recipe using the nominated market basket ingredients and other local produce. Each team will be started off at 10 minute intervals, so as to give the judges time to look at all the dishes and ensure each dish will be judged as soon as it’s plated.
Finalist teams will be scored according to a 100 point system, with up to 15 points awarded for organisation, 40 points for culinary skills, and 45 for taste and presentation. Judges will be walking around during the cook-off checking these factors and awarding points independently.
The winning team will receive the perpetual David Terrill Trophy. Both the winners and runners-up will also receive a further trophy which is theirs to keep permanently.
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