Highlights included Jason Atherton triumphing over his protégé Andy Benyon; an intense and skilful match between Jonpaul Sato and Dan Page; and Paul Foster scoring the only TKO of the night against Niall Keating.
The evening opened in explosive fashion as Prept co-founder Dan Wade landed a heavy first-round shot on Canopy’s Michael Bremner that left the Scot visibly shaken. Wade went on to secure the win, but Bremner put up quite a fight.
Sollip chef Woongchul Park was next into the ring against MasterChef: The Professionals star Hira Thakur. It proved one of the closest contests of the early bouts, with Thakur edging a hard-fought victory.
Tom Hamblet then clashed with Theo “The Clench” Clench. In a tightly matched contest, the former Cycene and Akoko chef came out on top with a patient and composed performance.
Gwen’s Corrin Harrison then took on 670 Grams chef Kray Tredwell. Giving away size but not determination, Tredwell showed real grit to secure the only tie of the night.
Chef Celia Farrar claimed victory in the night’s only women’s bout, narrowly overcoming pastry specialist Chloe McCoy in a fiercely competitive contest.
Arguably the most technically impressive fight saw 67 Pall Mall chef Dan Page face Humble Chicken co-founder Jonpaul Sato. Both demonstrated sharp footwork and resilience, but it was Sato who ultimately had his hand raised in victory.
Coworth Park’s Adam Smith squared up to Alchemilla chef Alex Bond in another evenly fought contest, with Bond emerging victorious.
Drama peaked in the penultimate bout as chef-turned-content-creator Paul Foster went head-to-head with Manchester-based chef Niall Keating. Foster bloodied Keating’s nose before sealing a TKO in the second round.
The final - and most eagerly anticipated - clash saw Jason Atherton step into the ring against his former employee Andy Benyon. Atherton’s technical and cleaner approach saw experience triumph over youth, but only just.
The full results are listed below, with winners highlighted in bold.
Dan Wade vs Michael Bremner
Woongchul Park vs Hira Thakur
Tom Hamblet vs Theo Clench
Corrin Harrison vs Kray Tredwell (draw)
Chloe McCoy vs Celia Farrar
Dan Page vs Jonpaul Sato
Adam Smith vs Alex Bond
Paul Foster vs Niall Keating
Jason Atherton vs Andy Benyon
“It went better than we could ever have imagined,” says Prept co-founder Jessica Aggarwal. “To have so many long-term supporters and so many new faces in the room sharing our work will help us go much further with our mission to inspire kids through food and nurture the future of hospitality.”
Most of the chefs and hospitality professionals involved spent the past six months undergoing professional boxing training.
Food Fight brought together 800 guests from across hospitality, food and education.
The menu was curated by Jean Delport, executive chef at Restaurant Interlude in West Sussex and a Prept ambassador.
The headline sponsors were catering equipment supplier Lockhart and furniture company Smallbone.
Prept, the current charity partner for Restaurant’s National Restaurant Awards, delivers hands-on, skills-based cooking sessions in schools and communities across Sussex and London, and will soon launch in Lancashire, Manchester and Birmingham. These workshops help young people develop a healthy, confident relationship with food while gaining essential life skills and discovering pathways into the hospitality industry.
Prept’s programmes are designed to inspire young people, teaching them how to cook and plate like professional chefs, explore global cuisines, understand sustainability in the kitchen and master essential skills such as making basic sauces.
Sessions are practical, engaging and inclusive, equipping children with knowledge they can share at home with family and friends, while building confidence, self-esteem and ambition.