Rookie Chef 2026 Celebrates Culinary Talent

The Rookie Chef 2026, one of the flagship culinary competitions for first-year students at the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), brought together emerging culinary talent from across nine IIHM campuses. Now in its 20th year, the competition provides hospitality students with an early opportunity to demonstrate their culinary skills, work under pressure and gain practical experience in a competitive kitchen environment.

Rookie Chef is built around IIHM’s philosophy of introducing students to practical learning and professional challenges from the beginning of their hospitality education. The competition encourages first-year students to begin developing their identity as chefs from Day One, combining classroom learning with hands-on culinary experience.

Developing Culinary Skills Through Competition

The IIHM Rookie Chef Competition 2026 was conducted through two rounds. In the preliminary round, students were required to prepare a vegetarian starter in their respective kitchens. The shortlisted participants then progressed to the campus finals, where they prepared a main course with an accompaniment from a limited basket of ingredients. The finalists also faced a dedicated knife-skills test, putting their basic culinary techniques, precision and confidence to the test.

For students who had only recently begun their hospitality education, the competition offered an opportunity to apply their learning in a professional-style environment. The performances also demonstrated the importance of practice, discipline, creativity and teamwork in developing professional chef skills.

Dr Suborno Bose Encourages Future Chefs

Addressing the Rookie Chef 2026 finalists, Dr Suborno Bose, Chairman & CEO, International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) & Indismart Group Worldwide, highlighted the importance of exposing students to competition early in their culinary journey.

Dr Bose emphasised that competitions help students develop the spirit to compete and prepare themselves for the demands of the hospitality industry. He also pointed out that several students who performed strongly in Rookie Chef have subsequently excelled in other IIHM competitions, internships and international culinary platforms.
The competition therefore serves as more than a culinary contest. It is an important part of IIHM’s approach to experiential hospitality education, allowing students to learn through performance, feedback, mentorship and real-time challenges.

Rookie Chef 2026 Winners

The nine participating IIHM campuses celebrated their respective winners and runners-up.

• IIHM Ahmedabad: Winner – Md. Hamza Khan; 1st Runner-Up – Himanish Bhargav; 2nd Runner-Up – Saiyam Shah
• IIHM Bangalore: Winner – Madiha; 1st Runner-Up – Tazmeen and Mourya; 2nd Runner-Up – Sanidhya
• IIHM Delhi: Winner – Kush Kumar; 1st Runner-Up – Lobsang Gyamphal and Rosana Sebastian; 2nd Runner-Up – Shilpa
• IIHM Goa: Winner – Mayur Salskar (315 marks); 1st Runner-Up – Fabiano Fernandes (295 marks); 2nd Runner-Up – Sanchia Goni (292 marks)
• IIHM Hyderabad: Winner – Abdul Mujeeb; 1st Runner-Up – Aliza Pirani; 2nd Runner-Up – N Sai Nikhila
• IIHM Jaipur: Winner – Maviya Imran; 1st Runner-Up – Mohd. Junaid; 2nd Runner-Up – Vritti Rastogi
• IIHM Kolkata: Winner – Manash Thapa; 1st Runner-Up – Junaid Jamal; 2nd Runner-Up – Evangelene Gomes
• IIHM Pune: Winner – Riya Goski; 1st Runner-Up – Sanchit Hadade; 2nd Runner-Up – Vanisha Verma
• IIHM Siliguri: Winner – Menlom Lepcha; 1st Runner-Up – Ayesha; 2nd Runner-Up – Rohit

The competition also celebrated every participant who took on the challenge. As highlighted during the event, participation itself is an important part of the learning journey, helping students develop new skills, confidence and the ability to perform under pressure.

From Rookie Chef to Future Culinary Professionals

For many IIHM students, Rookie Chef is the first step in a longer culinary journey. Students who begin with foundational kitchen skills can progress through further competitions, internships and industry exposure as they develop their expertise.

Rookie Chef 2026 once again demonstrated the role of culinary competitions in hospitality education, giving young students a platform to experiment, compete and learn. For these aspiring chefs, the competition marks not an endpoint but the beginning of a journey towards professional kitchens, global hospitality careers and continued culinary excellence.