Sunshine Coast chef Ashton Teed has been crowned the Queensland regional winner of the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award.
Working as a chef at the award-winning Spirit House Restaurant in Yandina, Teed, 22, earned the highest score at the Queensland cook-off, held at TAFE Queensland on July 25.
The competition challenged 12 of the region’s rising culinary stars to create and plate a main course and dessert under strict competition conditions.
“My dish was inspired by a desire to create something both sustainable and refined, using as much of the cauliflower as possible across different components,” Teed says.
Teed works under the mentorship of Tom Hitchcock, head chef at Spirit House and Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award alumni.
He will now represent Queensland at the grand final, to be held at Fine Food Australia in Melbourne, where he’ll compete for the prestigious title of 2026 Nestlé Golden Chef of the Year and a seven-day international culinary experience in Singapore, valued at $10,000.
