Golden Plate icing on the cake for NZ chefs

“Hands!”

One word cuts through the noise of Gallipoli Barracks.

Chefs move, knives flash and plates come together as teams race against the clock. At Exercise Golden Plate 2026, there is no time to waste.

The Australian Army Catering Corps’ keystone competition brought together military chefs from Army’s 9FSB and 10FSB, RAAF’s 23SQN and the New Zealand Army to compete for the coveted title of Golden Plate champion.

From field kitchens to fine dining, each challenge demanded precision and composure.

“Come and get it!”

The call rings out from a field kitchen as teams put the finishing touches on their dishes.

For the field cooking challenge, teams prepared a two-course meal followed by dessert for personnel from 7 Bde and 17 Sust Bde units and the judging panel.

Working in a field environment, competitors were assessed on flavour, presentation and boldness, demonstrating that quality catering is just as important in the field as it is in a fine dining setting.

Corps Regimental Sergeant Major WO1 Belinda Tottle said the competition challenged military chefs to continually develop their culinary skills while performing under pressure.

“Golden Plate gives competitors the chance to share their skills and to see abilities in different environments,” WO1 Tottle said.

With the field challenge complete, the heat turned up again.

Next on the menu was the master chef challenge.

Teams were presented with a dish prepared by former Chief of Army chef WO2 Andrew Colbourne.

Their task was to recreate it, testing their attention to detail, technical ability and capacity to deliver a high-quality dish under the scrutiny of the judges.

For CPL Jordan Smith, team leader of 9FSB, experience inside and outside Defence prepared his team for the challenge.

“Our team has proven to have a lot of talent, with experience in kitchens before joining Defence,” CPL Smith said.

“That gave us a really strong advantage in the competition.”

But Golden Plate is about more than what happens in the kitchen. The final challenge put competitors on the range for a shooting competition.

For the NZ Army team, there was an additional hurdle. They had to familiarise themselves with a new weapon system before putting rounds downrange.

LCPL Storm Vanzyl, the NZ team leader, made their intentions clear.

“Last time we were here we didn’t win, so we’re out for blood,” she said.

“We work together really well as a team, and we’re ready for any challenge.”

And when the final scores were tallied, one team rose above the rest.

The NZ Army claimed the title of Golden Plate champions, capping off a week of culinary competition, military skill and teamwork.

See more images from Golden Plate.