Scotland’s hospitality industry will take centre stage in one of the UK’s most demanding professional competitions this year, as leading chefs and service professionals from The Gleneagles Hotel and Gleneagles Townhouse join the line-up for the 2026 Master of Culinary Arts (MCA). The award, run by the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and held only once every four years, is widely viewed as the pinnacle of achievement for working professionals across kitchen, pastry and service.
Scotland’s role in a world-class field
The Royal Academy has confirmed the full list of 2026 MCA candidates, with Scotland represented in both the Kitchen and Service disciplines. Among the chefs selected is Gordon Dochard, Culinary Development Partner at The Gleneagles Hotel, who will compete in the Kitchen category against some of the most accomplished culinary names in the UK.
In Service, Valerio Badioli of Gleneagles Townhouse has been named as a candidate, reflecting the growing strength of Scotland’s front-of-house leadership on the national stage. Their inclusion reinforces Gleneagles’ reputation as a powerhouse for talent development, following a run of recent accolades for its teams and a long history of nurturing award-winning chefs and service professionals.
Alongside the candidates, Gleneagles is also represented at judging and committee level, with Thierry Tomasin MCA, Support Services Manager for the Gleneagles culinary team, and Elaine Watson MCA, Food and Beverage Trainer at The Gleneagles Hotel, both serving on the Service committee overseeing this year’s award.
What the MCA means for Scottish hospitality
The MCA is recognised as one of the UK’s most rigorous tests of professional skill, asking candidates to demonstrate exceptional technical precision, creativity, consistency and calm under pressure. It runs across three strands – Kitchen, Pastry and Service – and is designed not just to showcase what candidates can do on the day, but to identify the next generation of leaders in the hospitality industry.
For Scotland, the presence of Gleneagles and Gleneagles Townhouse in the 2026 cohort underscores the country’s standing as a destination for world-class dining and hospitality careers. It aligns with a broader narrative of Scottish talent making its mark in major national and international competitions, and with initiatives such as the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship that focus on nurturing excellence in Scottish kitchens and restaurants.
MCA Chair Idris Caldora MCA said this year’s group “reflects the remarkable breadth of talent across kitchen, pastry, and service” and described the process as an opportunity for candidates to “push boundaries, refine their craft, and ultimately join a distinguished group of professionals who represent the very best of our industry.”
Full 2026 MCA candidate line-up
While Scottish names are a key part of the story, the 2026 MCA brings together a UK-wide field of chefs, pastry chefs and service professionals operating at the top of their game.
Pastry
- Michael Kwan, Executive Pastry Chef, Onsu
- Bastien Carriou, Head Pastry Chef/Chocolatier, Harrods
- Steve James, Lecturer, Capital City College Westminster
- Ben Christopherson, Senior Lecturer, University of West London
- Daniel Aladics, Executive Pastry Chef, Pollen Bakery
- Sajeela Siriwardena, Premier Pastry Sous Chef, London Hilton on Park Lane
Kitchen
- Gordon Dochard, Culinary Development Partner, The Gleneagles Hotel
- Harry Kirkpatrick, Head Chef, Trinity Restaurant
- Russell Bateman, Executive Chef, The Taste Lab at Classic Fine Foods
- Adam Smith, Executive Head Chef, Hever Castle
- Tom Scade, Executive Chef, The Vineyard, Stockcross
- Alessandro Molica, Chef de Partie, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
- Allister Barsby, Chef Patron, Hide and Fox
- Luciano Lucioli, Executive Chef, Royal Bank of Canada (Restaurant Associates)
- Tom Phillips, Executive Chef, Restaurant Story
- Ian Musgrave, Executive Sous Chef, The Ritz London
- Mehdi Lahmadi, Premier Sous Chef, Coworth Park
Service
- Valerio Badioli, Food & Beverage Manager, Gleneagles Townhouse
- Anouar Belkhadir El Hairouri, Assistant General Restaurant Manager, Jumeirah Carlton Tower
- Ashley Best, General Manager, 64 Goodge Street
- Charles Carron Brown, Restaurant Manager, Aulis London
- Milena De Waele, Head Sommelier, Petrus by Gordon Ramsay
- Matteo Favarin, Deputy Hospitality Manager, Houston & Hawkes (Rathbones Venue)
- Thomas Gammella, General Manager, The Braywood (WSH Restaurants)
- John Hollywood, Head of Learning & Development, Iconic Hotels & Resorts
- Rizwan Khan, General Manager, Junsei Marylebone
- Karim Le Cloarec, Group Operations Manager, Paris Society Group
- Tom Noller, Restaurant Manager, L’Enclume
- Andréa Nuninger, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Àclèaf at Boringdon Hall Hotel & Spa
- Anthony Obeuf, Food & Beverage Manager, The Peninsula London
- David Olah, Restaurant General Manager, Jumeirah Carlton Tower
- Antonio Palombo, Senior Restaurant Manager, INNSiDE by Meliá
- Michel Paszto, Head Sommelier, The Ritz London
- Marion Pepin, Restaurant Director, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
- Peter Prusaczyk, Self-employed F&B Manager
- Kevin Ricou, Head Waiter, The Ritz London
- Stephanie Robertson, Head of Experience, Restaurant Associates
- Connor Shields, Assistant Operations Manager, McConnell’s Irish Whisky Distillery
- Alexander Sumerauer, General Manager, The Grill at The Dorchester
- Zoltan Wagner, Assistant General Manager, Local & Wild
Inside the first gathering at Fulham Pier
The 2026 candidates – including the Scottish contingent – recently came together for their first official MCA gathering at Brasserie Constance at Fulham Pier. The day included detailed briefings on the assessment process, a run-through of tasks and the chance for candidates to meet each other, along with the chairs and judges who will be overseeing their progress.
Headline equipment sponsor Unox UK also hosted live demonstrations of its EVEREO and CHEFTOP-X combi ovens, with discipline chairs showing how modern kitchen technology can support teams aiming for the highest levels of culinary and service excellence. For candidates from properties like Gleneagles, it offered another opportunity to benchmark their standards against peers from leading hotels and restaurants across the UK.
Leadership, judges and sponsors behind the award
The MCA is overseen by an eminent panel of honorary judges: Mark Birchall, Chef Patron of Moor Hall (Kitchen); Alain Roux of The Waterside Inn (Pastry); and Thomas Kochs, Managing Director of Claridge’s (Service). Each discipline is then guided by a dedicated chair and committee – many of them MCA holders – who are responsible for designing and delivering the assessments.
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To give a quick snapshot:
The 2026 MCA is supported by Champagne Bollinger (Headline Champagne Sponsor), the University of West London (Headline Education Sponsor) and Unox UK (Headline Equipment Sponsor), alongside partners including Aubrey Allen, Berkman Wine Cellars, Caffe Musetti, Ritter Courivaud, Seafood Scotland, SushiSushi, Winterhalter and Woods Food Service.
Lisa Jenkins, CEO of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, said: “Each of these candidates has already demonstrated exceptional dedication, skill, and professionalism, and we are proud to support them as they embark on this journey.” For Gleneagles and Scotland’s wider hospitality community, their progress in the coming months will be watched with keen interest.
