Unox calls for catering college students to enter CombiGuru competition
The combi oven manufacturer says this challenge will offer students from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland a ‘unique opportunity’ to enhance their skills in an ‘exciting and hands-on experience’.
The number of spaces available to compete this year has increased from 40 to 75, offering more students the chance to secure their spot an all-expenses paid trip to Unox’s headquarters in Padua Italy for the grand final live-cooking competition - ‘The Oven Challenge’.
The first round will allow entrants to sign up to the CombiGuru app, which will test their knowledge of the gastronomic world with a quiz. The students with the highest scores will advance to the next stage: ‘The Oven Challenge’.
The finalists are flown to Unox’s headquarters in Italy to compete in the grand final practical cooking challenge where they must prepare and present two dishes - one main and one dessert to an expert judging panel.
The winning student will now be awarded the opportunity to work with Michelin-Starred chef Tom Brown for work experience, as well as a state-of-the-art Unox oven for their college.
Matthew Heavens, UK sales manager at Unox, said: “CombiGuru is a truly unique opportunity for budding chefs to take their skills to the next level. It’s a fantastic chance for catering students to gain valuable hands-on experience of what it’s like to work in a professional kitchen, whilst in a supportive learning environment.
“Each year we see the success of this competition grow alongside students’ confidence and creativity; that’s why this year we’re delighted to be offering more students than ever before the chance to compete in the UK heats.
“Cooking with the same professional equipment used across the foodservice industry, Unox is proud to be supporting the education and development of student chefs. We can’t wait to see the student entries and welcome the finalists to our HQ in Italy in April 2026.”
Those wanting to apply can sign up and participate for free by visiting www.combiguruchallenge.com/en_gb/ or contact Robert Edwards at [email protected]. Students have until Sunday 30th November to register for CombiGuru 2026.