Michelin-starred chef Mark Sargeant appointed chair of judges for LACA’s Grab ‘N’ Go Challenge

LACA, the School Food People (@LACA_UK), has appointed Mark Sargeant, a former Young Chef of the Year, National Chef of the Year, and Michelin-starred chef, as the chair of judges for the second edition of its Grab ‘N’ Go Challenge. Sargeant, who previously worked at several restaurants in the Gordon Ramsay empire, including the acclaimed Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, now runs his own restaurant in Kent – The Restaurant MS – and has recently been appointed as a LACA ambassador.

The Grab ‘N’ Go Challenge is a competition designed for school chefs tasked with creating a nutritious food item that young students can consume on the go. The competition is open to all kitchen staff responsible for preparing meals for students.

The total cost per portion should not exceed 80p

The chefs are required to cook four portions of a grab-and-go meal or a savoury snack that can be consumed on the go. The total cost per portion should not exceed 80p and must include the cost of serving items such as boxes, cones, and paper wrapping.

Dugald Curtis, SchoolGrid CEO and sponsor of the competition comments. ‘We are extremely excited that a Chef of Mark’s calibre is joining this fantastic competition for school chefs. His experience and culinary skill make him the perfect fit to chair the judges, and as sponsors we are thrilled to be part of this important event. As a proactive supporter of providing good school food for y oung people through our menu management system SchoolGrid, we look forward to working with Mark and LACA to support excellence in school food.”

Registrations are open until the 5th of April, and Heats will take place in May. Three finalists will be invited to the LACA Main Event in Birmingham on July 3rd to compete for the overall title.

The competition winner will be given a demonstration slot at the LACA Live event to showcase their winning dish. The winning school chef will take home £500 in LACA prize money (plus a £500 set of Wüsthof Chef’s knives from SchoolGrid), with £250 going to second place and £100 for third place (plus a £100 voucher for both runners up from SchoolGrid).