Gimlet Chef de Partie Oliver Garroch has been crowned Australian Professional Chef of the Year, taking out the industry’s premier culinary competition at Food & Hospitality Week 2026.
The win marks a significant milestone for Garroch, who reached the grand final in 2024 but fell short of the title. Returning to the competition this year, he said experience and preparation helped him overcome the nerves that affected his previous performance.
“Winning Professional Chef of the Year means a lot to me,” Garroch said.
“It’s such a humbling experience to have won and to see my partner be proud of me. It’s a culmination of years of hard work and experience coming to a head.”
Garroch emerged victorious after two days of competition, beating 24 finalists through six elimination heats, a redemption round and a final four showdown.
One of his standout dishes came during the Indigenous ingredient challenge in the final round, where he prepared a barramundi crudo featuring tiger’s milk, ginger, fresh citrus, lemon myrtle oil, fried barramundi skin and cured crocodile fat.
The victory adds another accolade to Melbourne’s Gimlet, where Garroch works as Chef de Partie. Part of acclaimed restaurateur Andrew McConnell’s Trader House group, the restaurant is ranked among the World’s 100 Best Restaurants, cementing its reputation as one of Australia’s leading dining destinations.
“Each time I heard my name called during the qualifying rounds it felt surreal,” Garroch said.
“I made the grand final in 2024, but I panicked, felt overwhelmed and didn’t win. This time, I was a lot more prepared. I just wanted to go in, cook something good, have fun and not let the nerves get in the way.”
Head judge Jamie Ganon, Culinary Director of Feros Group, said Garroch’s growth since his previous appearance stood out throughout the competition.
“Oli competed a couple of years ago, and he was very young. He went away, worked on himself, and came back and absolutely nailed it,” Ganon said.
“We could all see the growth he had made in the past couple of years since he last competed.”
Garroch finished ahead of Allen Varghese (Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park), Peter Sheldon (The European) and Giuseppe Morabito (Ollie’s Italian) to claim the title.
