NACC Podcast
Episode 2 - Ilona Tomza - Care Chef of the Year Special
"Food Is Feeling: Ilona Tomza on Winning NACC Care Chef of the Year 2025" What does it really mean to cook for someone in the last chapter of their life? In the first episode of the NACC podcast, Care Chef of the Year 2025 Ilona Tomza shares the philosophy, the competition dish, and the resident moment that changed how she sees every plate she serves — plus what winning really opens up for a care chef's career.
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Episode 3 - Simon Lawrence
The Person Before the Plate: Simon Lawrence on Winning Care Chef of the Year, Helping Three Others Win It, and Why He's Still Learning
Simon Lawrence won the NACC Care Chef of the Year in 2013 — and the day after, he was on a call about budget deficits. In this episode he talks to host Rob Spence about the twenty-year journey that got him there: from helping his mum run theme nights in sheltered housing, through three attempts at the competition and a highly commended, a second place, and finally the title. He also talks about what winning actually meant — not the achievement itself, but using it to help three other chefs go on and win it too.
Episode 4 - Steve Munkley MBE
If a Judge Comes Back for a Second Mouthful, He Liked It: Steve Munkley MBE on Judging, Mentoring, and the Future of Care Catering
What do the judges actually look for — and what sends them walking away after one bite? In this episode, Rob Spence sits down with Steve Munkley MBE, Head Judge of the NAC Care Chef of the Year and Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs. Steve shares the inside track on the competition, the common mistakes that cost competitors marks, and why the first fifteen minutes of the final tell him almost everything he needs to know.
Episode 5 - Alison Smith
New episode arrives 2nd June 2026
"Food Is So Much More Than the Nutrition It Contains: Alison Smith on Judging Nutrition in a Competition Kitchen"
What does the nutrition judge actually look for when a care chef's dish lands in front of her? In this episode, Rob Spence sits down with Alison Smith, dietitian and nutritional judge for the NAC Care Chef of the Year. Alison pulls back the curtain on the judging process — what gets competitors marked down, what makes a dish genuinely stand out, and why the dessert might be the most nutritionally important element on the plate.
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