National Cooking Competition for Young Chefs from Children’s Homes – October 2025

This year marked the 18th edition of the Cooking Competition in Somogy County, where young people living in children’s homes can showcase their culinary talents. The unique event was once again hosted in Nagyszakácsi, where the young chefs and their adult mentors prepared their dishes outdoors. Eight children’s homes from different regions of the country participated in this year’s competition. The teams were tasked with preparing dishes of Transylvanian origin.

As in the previous year, our Foundation was invited to join the jury. This gave us another opportunity to taste the delicious creations of the enthusiastic young chefs—none of which disappointed this year either. In addition to evaluating the main dish cooked over an open fire, the jury also scored a homemade dessert, themed decorations, plating, and the teams’ attire. As a new challenge, each team also had to prepare a “starter” in the form of a musical or dance performance.

The teams prepared with great dedication and produced many outstanding dishes, making the final ranking a difficult task. Although every participant received recognition for their efforts, the Fejér County team won this year’s Wandering Wooden Spoon trophy. In addition to the official prizes, each team received a gift package from our Foundation containing cinema tickets—so they could relax together after the hard work of cooking.

We were delighted to take part once again in this special event, which the organizers enriched with a variety of colorful programs, including storytelling performances, a traditional dance house, and a guest appearance by Suzy.

We thank the organizers for the invitation and congratulate all participating teams for their outstanding achievements!