Thank You for an Excellent Show, that Gets Better Every Year!

This time last week at HRC 2025 at ExCeL London, The Chefs’ Forum Demo Stage was a true highlight of the show, drawing crowds of foodie visitors, culinary professionals, and suppliers, all eager to witness top-tier chef talent in action.

From international TV stars to esteemed college lecturers and executive hotel chefs, the line-up brought culinary excellence to life on stage. Among the standout names were Top Chef Brasil winner Luciana Berry (showcasing her wonderful range of Authentic Brazilian sauces), Stephen McClarty, of the BBC 2 show ‘The Chef’s Apprentice’, now with his own thriving restaurant, Sharkbait & Swim, nestled under the arches of Deptford Market Yard, London.

Luciana said

“I really enjoy the HRC every year, working with a variety of brands and also to have showcased my own award-winning Brazilian cooking sauce range, aimed at the retail market, was just amazing – I was really happy to incorporate beautiful Royal Greenland cold water lobster, snow cod and prawns in my Moqueca recipe, then we garnished with beautiful, huge and juicy ocean caught Tiger Prawns, courtesy of Saqua Seafood, the best bit for me is moving between the HRC and co-located IFE to hunt and gather the finest fresh produce – Huge congratulations all on an excellent show!”

Luciana’s sauce range also features two more sauces, targeted at the home cook, available in top retail outlets called ‘Pimento’ a Brazilian sauce and ‘Refogado’ a typical Brazilian base sauce for most tomato-based dishes.

Stephen added

“Cooking with beautiful Aussie Lamb neck was so enjoyable, I pride myself on bringing back traditional, cheaper cuts, which are so flavoursome as we all know the fat makes for the dish’s flavour.  My tagine inspired dish of Aussie lamb neck in a Moroccan Tagine style was a real hit with the punters and it was so much fun to be on stage with Catherine Farinha from The Chefs’ Forum, who compered my demo and supported in communicating the flavour profiles, pairings and cooking process to the audience. Thanks also to Richard Saunders, UK/EU Country Manager for Meat and Livestock Australia for coming along to tell the audience all about the provinandce and sustainability of this wonderful product – I can’t wait for next year’s show!”

Also impressing the crowds was Martyn Watkins of Laksa Shack, who also had his impressive range of handmade Richkins Woodcraft chopping boards, canapé boards and everything you can think of made of wood to enhance and culinary or BBQ experience.

National Chef of The Year, Kuba Winkowski also prepared a range of delicious canapés, showcasing the capabilities of the Borniak smoker.

Chef Fernanda Gama made beautiful eclairs in the Unox Bakerlux oven and showcasing the diverse functions of everything pastry from the Robo Cream machine.

Salvatore Maggio, Bar Manager at the 5-star Franklin Hotel wowed us with his cocktail flairing skills to create some sensational cocktails.

The Chefs’ Forum stand showcased an exciting range of flavours from the UK and beyond, supported by cutting-edge kitchen tech from Unox, CookTek and MCS Technical Products, Pastry Gelato Equipment and premium ingredients, giving the chefs the perfect tools to create culinary magic.

But it wasn’t just about the food. The Chefs’ Forum also took the opportunity to promote their brand-new book, The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow, produced in partnership with NHS England. This beautifully designed publication is being created in-house by The Chefs’ Forum’s publishing arm, artworked by our wonderful Head of Production and Design, Lee Yarlett and edited by Chandos Elletson.  Any suppliers to NHS England are welcome to get involved and showcase what they are doing to help healthcare chefs, catering managers and stakeholders meet net-zero targets and enhance sustainable menus in healthcare kitchens.

The Chefs’ Forum Demo Stage once again proved to be a must-visit destination at HRC – A celebration of skill, innovation and collaboration in the world of professional cookery.

For more information on The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow, contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com