Penair pupil Hesali cooks her way to South West Chef final

A plate of spiced chicken supreme with wild garlic and pea purée has carried a Truro teenager into one of the region’s most closely watched cooking contests. Hesali Galuge, 15, from Penair Secondary School, has won her place in the final of South West Junior Chef of the Year 2026, seeing off five other Cornish students along the way.

The dish that did it

The Junior category sits within the wider South West Chef of the Year competition and is open to 11 to 16-year-olds. Each entrant has to cook a main course built mainly from locally sourced ingredients, and Hesali’s chicken supreme, wild garlic and pea purée was enough to convince the judges of her skill and creativity.

She now goes through to the grand final at Exeter College in October, where she will compete for the 2026 title.

A Padstow mentor in her corner

Every finalist is paired with one of the competition judges, who helps them sharpen their dish for the final while building their confidence in the kitchen. Hesali will be mentored by Pete Murt, Head Chef at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.

Pete judged the Cornwall group alongside Dorian Janmaat, Chef Patron at Ardor in St Ives, and Ben Ambridge, Chef Lecturer at Cornwall College. The other Cornish finalists were Amelia, Neva and Skye from Penair Secondary School in Truro, Joe from Mounts Bay Academy in Penzance, and Sophie from Truro High School.

📷Hesali & judges

22 years and still counting

Michael Caines MBE DL, who co-founded the competition, praised the standard on show across the county heats. “Well done to all the young cooks who competed in the county finals and many congratulations to the winners in each county. It was, once again, a very close-run competition with some very impressive dishes created,” he said.

“We are very grateful to our team of expert judges who supported and inspired the young chefs as they cooked, as well as judging them, ensuring that they gained the most out of the experience.”

There is a further prize in it for some of the young cooks. Thanks to a partnership with Springboard FutureChef, county finalists in years 9 to 11 will be invited to cook at the FutureChef regional final in January 2027, skipping the local rounds and going straight through to compete for a place in the national final.

Now in its 22nd year, South West Chef of the Year sets out to champion professional excellence, bring on rising stars and celebrate the food and drink produced across the South West.

Still time to enter

Entries are open until 31 July across four categories: Professional Chef (any age, working as a sous chef, pastry chef or above, or as a private chef), Young Professional Chef (aged 18 to 24, in any kitchen role up to and including junior sous chef), Student/Apprentice Chef (aged 16 to 19 and at college or in an apprenticeship) and Home Cook (aged 16 and over, never having worked or trained in the catering industry).

The competition builds towards the finals of the Professional and Student/Apprentice Chef categories on Tuesday 27 October at Exeter College, followed that evening by the Awards Presentation Dinner at Exeter Golf and Country Club, where judges and previous winners cook a four-course meal. Full details are on the South West Chef of the Year website.

📷Hesali