Sodexo honors its chefs and culinary excellence at the international finale of the Cook for Change! competition

Issy-les-Moulineaux, March 26, 2026

On March 24, 2026, Sodexo hosted the international Grand Finale of Cook for Change!, its sustainable chef challenge, in London, bringing together clients and partners. For this fourth edition, Sodexo awarded the talent, creativity, and commitment of its chefs in promoting food that is delicious, healthy, and sustainable.

An international finale showcasing culinary creativity and commitment

After several months of competition involving more than 500 chefs, nine finalists from eight countries competed in a final cook-off before an outstanding jury of renowned chefs and industry experts, including:

• Frédéric Anton – Meilleur Ouvrier de France and multi-starred Chef (Pré Catelan – 3 Michelin stars, Jules Verne – 2 Michelin stars, Don Juan II – 1 Michelin star)
• Anna Haugh – TV presenter and Executive Head Chef/owner of Myrtle Restaurant in London
• Lloyd Mann – Sodexo’s Global Executive Chef
• Sinéad McLaughlin – Regional Corporate Chef at Rational, partner of Sodexo
• Jessie Sommarström – Executive Chef from Sodexo Sweden and Nobel Prize Banquet Chef

The finalists’ challenge was to create a dish that was tasty, healthy and creative, while having a low environmental impact.

The 2026 award winners recognise excellence and impact

At the end of the competition, three prizes were awarded:

• Chef of the Year 2026:Robert Janse (Netherlands) for his “Smoked Kohlrabi with Miso, White Bean Cream and Kombucha Beurre Blanc”
• Culinary Innovation Award : Gordon Carberry (UK & Ireland) for his “Miso Roasted Parsnip with Textures of Parsnip, Wild Rice, Crispy Chickpeas and Aquafaba Mayonnaise”.
• Impact at Scale Award: Randall Prudden (United-States) for his “Whole Pumpkin with Roasted Maitake Mushroom & Mole Negro”.
  

An inspiring celebration

The awards ceremony also served as an opportunity to underscore the need to reconcile taste, culinary expertise and transformation of food systems, notably through remarks by Brent Loken.

Brent Loken, Global Food Lead Scientist at WWF:

"The science is clear: we must transform our food system to address climate, nature, and health challenges. Chefs, through their creativity and influence, play a major role in making healthy and sustainable food tasty, accessible, and desirable. Initiatives like Cook for Change! are essential to show that healthy and sustainable eating is possible.”

A showcase of Sodexo’s commitment in support of its clients

Beyond the competition itself, Cook for Change! demonstrates how Sodexo’s culinary expertise creates value for its clients. Through food offers that are both tasty, healthy and sustainable, Sodexo meets growing consumer expectations while helping its clients achieve their performance and sustainability objectives.

Thierry Delaporte, Sodexo Group CEO:

"Cook for Change! is a powerful illustration of our ability to support clients in transforming their food offers. Thanks to the creativit and passion of our chefs around the world, we deliver practical solutions that bring together great taste, nutritional quality and a positive impact. I am proud to see our teams helping, every day, to make food a driver of sustainable performance.”

Frédéric Anton, President of the Cook for Change! jury:

"The standard of this year’s competition was outstanding. The chefs created dishes that were accomplished, creative and full of personality. It is a real source of pride to see such a diversity of approaches.”

The Grand Finale was streamed live on YouTube, allowing a wide audience to follow this international event celebrating culinary creativity. The replay is available here. For more information on the challenge, the finalists and their dishes, please consult the dedicated press kit.

About Sodexo

Founded in Marseille in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the leader in Food and Services, shaping better everyday experiences at every moment in life: work, heal, learn and play. The Group stands out for its independence, its founding family shareholding and its responsible business model. With its services, Sodexo meets all the challenges of everyday life with a dual goal: to improve the quality of life of our employees and those we serve, and contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. For Sodexo, growth and social commitment go hand in hand. Our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone to build a better life for all. Sodexo is included in the CAC Next 20, CAC SBT 1.5, FTSE 4 Good and DJSI indices. 

Sodexo key figures

24.1 billion euros Fiscal 2025 consolidated revenues   426,000 employees (as at August 31, 2025) #2 France-based private employer worldwide

43 countries (as at August 31, 2025)  80 million consumers served daily 6.5 billion euros in market capitalization (as at January 7, 2026)

Contacts

Media

Domitille Lecasble

+33 (0)6 28 74 66 79

domitille.lecasble@sodexo.com

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