Delphis Eco has announced the winners of its Best-in-Class Hygiene Awards at this year’s International Salon Culinaire, recognising chefs who maintained high hygiene standards during live culinary competitions at HRC 2026. The awards reflect the company’s continued involvement as Ecological Hygiene Partner for the third consecutive year.
The initiative focuses on the role of hygiene in professional kitchens, linking food safety with environmental considerations. With more than 600 chefs competing across a three-day programme, the awards were judged in a live operational setting where cleanliness and consistency were assessed alongside culinary performance.
Awards were presented across a wide range of categories, covering both individual and team competitions. Winners included Chris Ormshaw of Sodexo UK&I and Sonny Batch of Lexington in the Lamb Challenge heats, as well as Mathew Davy of Vacherin and Joe Timmons of the Royal Air Force in the Lactalis Professional Live Cheese Starter competitions.
Plant-based categories were also recognised, with Pierre-Alexandre Schaeffer of Vacherin and Gabriel Plaseczny of The Dorchester among those awarded. In the Oriental Duck Culinary Showdown, Kitty Whitely of Lexington Independents and Antim Gurung of Royal Air Force Leeming were named winners in their respective heats.
Team-based competitions featured prominently, including The Mystery Basket Grand Prix, where Tom Biddle and Charlotte Wakelyn of Drayton Manor Resort, alongside James Shaw and Katie Forsyth of Dine (Compass Group), were recognised. Other team winners included Jan Sevcik and Yihsin Yu of Vacherin in the Tilda Chef Team of the Year category, and Alan Dougan and Jim Dougan representing NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde in the Hospital Caterers Association Chef Showcase.
Additional individual category winners included Alessio Sneider of the Craft Guild of Chefs Culinary Team and Gillian Payne of Firmdale Hotels in The Alaska Seafood Masters. Nirmit Uchil of Pan Pacific London secured recognition in The Great British Pork Championship, while Sian Sullivan of Houston & Hawkes was awarded in the Contemporary Plated Dessert category.
Emerging talent was also acknowledged through junior and apprentice competitions. Maria Bantouna of HIT Training won the Apprentice Challenge, while Amy Wright of Basingstoke College of Technology was recognised in the Junior Lamb category. Sonny Ward of 3MCS Royal Air Force and Emily Orto of Houston & Hawkes received awards in the Junior and Senior pasta competitions respectively.
Further winners included Giovanni Constantino of Haymarket Hotel, Firmdale Hotels in the Live Sweet Tea Pastry Challenge, Rachel Bremner of The Balmoral in The Association of Pastry Chefs Dessert of the Year, and Woody Wenzel of Vacherin in The British Lion Eggs Global Eggcellence Challenge. Hugh FitzGerald of Butcombe Brewery was also named Pub Chef of the Year 2026.
Each winner was selected based on their application of hygiene standards throughout the competition. Judges assessed workstation management, product use and adherence to professional cleaning protocols under pressure, reflecting the realities of commercial kitchen environments.
Throughout the event, competitors used Delphis Eco’s plant-based cleaning products. The use of these products formed part of the judging environment, demonstrating how cleaning systems can be integrated into high-performance kitchens without compromising operational requirements.
Mark Jankovich, Founder and CEO of Delphis Eco, said:
“These awards recognise something fundamental to professional kitchens, that excellence isn’t just about what’s on the plate, but how you operate behind the scenes. What we saw at Salon Culinaire was proof that the highest hygiene standards can be delivered consistently, even under pressure, using sustainable solutions. That’s where real progress happens.”
International Salon Culinaire is one of the UK’s largest live culinary competitions, attracting chefs from across hospitality, contract catering and public sector organisations. The scale and format of the event provide a practical environment for assessing both technical skill and operational discipline.
The inclusion of hygiene-focused awards reflects wider changes across the hospitality sector, where regulatory requirements and environmental considerations are shaping kitchen practices. Maintaining cleanliness standards is central to compliance, while the choice of cleaning products and processes is increasingly linked to environmental performance.
Delphis Eco, a certified B Corp, has positioned its involvement in the event as part of its broader engagement with the hospitality industry. By working directly with chefs in live environments, the company aims to demonstrate how hygiene systems operate under real conditions.
As sustainability continues to gain attention across professional kitchens, the integration of cleaning practices into broader operational standards is becoming more visible. The awards programme places emphasis on the connection between hygiene, safety and environmental considerations within day-to-day kitchen activity.
Delphis Eco said it will continue working with chefs and operators to promote responsible hygiene practices across the sector.
