Growing up in the Lake District, Lottie moved to Belfast more than a decade ago, where she met her f fiancé and raised their daughter. For the past four years, she has been an integral part of the team behind Edo. At Edo, the menu is all about small plates influenced by the best ingredients and cooking using techniques from across the world. Edo gained a Bib Gourmand in 2023, as well as winning Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland. Lottie was inspired to become a chef after eating at L’Enclume when she was sixteen and that same year started her first kitchen job as a porter. After getting the bug for working in kitchen’s Lottie asked for a job at a local luxury hotel called The Swan at Newby Bridge, where she started work as a commis chef. Lottie gained her experience working at restaurants around the country from Hadskis in Belfast, working for Niall McKenna, to the renowned Old Swan at Minster Lovell in the Cotswolds. Lottie’s goal is to showcase the breadth of culinary expertise acquired throughout her career and she hopes to celebrate the best of Northern Ireland with her menu.

Camlough-based self-taught chef Melissa only started her food truck Feast venture a year ago, but it has already garnered glowing reviews from food critics and customers alike all over Northern Ireland. Her unique philosophy is centered around sourcing local produce wherever she is parked and giving people the opportunity to taste fine-dining food outside of the traditional restaurant setting. Her passion for cooking started while working in a takeaway kitchen at only fifteen, however, Melissa's ambitions soon led her to travel the world in search of new culinary experiences, working in Australia (Muttis in Melbourne) and New Zealand. Muttis is where Melissa realised that her life was destined to be spent in the kitchen and she fell in love with the industry. Melissa returned to Northern Ireland  to work her way up the ranks after her experiences overseas. Later she set off to the Loch Melfort on the west coast of Scotland, which led her to really appreciate the excellent produce that the UK has to offer. She went on to work at the Michelin-starred The Glasshouse in Kew, where she developed her skills further, as well as at several other top restaurants in London. With her food truck, she has formed strong connections with markets and suppliers, allowing her to showcase the very best of Northern Ireland produce on her menu.

Niall is a Belfast-born chef with a unique Egyptian-Irish background which has helped shape his culinary style. He's now head chef at the Rabbit hotel which boasts a three-AA-Rosettes rating. Niall’s father owned a kebab shop growing up and this where he first got experience working in a kitchen. Upon graduating from culinary school, which included one year studying in Egypt, Niall worked under Paul Rankin at several of his restaurants, including at the acclaimed Cayenne, and this experience helped hone Niall's skills and refine his cookery style, leading him to later become the head chef at the Mourne Seafood Bar in Belfast, named as one of the Top Place To Eat in Belfast in 2014. Niall's calm and collected demeanour, combined with his experience serving hundreds of covers per service, has helped him develop a unique and exciting menu that he hopes will impress the Great British Menu judges and honour the athletes from Northern Ireland.

Colin's culinary journey started straight out of school when he landed his first job as a kitchen porter, and
his determination to learn and pursue his dream led him to roles at the Fat Duck under Heston Blumenthal, The Ledbury, Angela Hartnett's Murano, and at Gridiron in London. With over twenty-four years of experience, Colin has truly learnt the importance of precision, attention to detail, and creativity from the best in the business. He moved back to Northern Ireland to spend time with his growing family in 2021 and was working for his friend at Yugo in Belfast short term. Since November 2023 Colin has been doing monthly pop ups in a local restaurant called Graphite and has also been supporting his friend with his plant-based café Birch in Newcastle. These experiences have allowed him to expand his knowledge and explore different cooking techniques and styles. Colin’s style is now all about honouring ingredients and using live fire in his cookery to give produce a more unique and interesting depth of flavour. His love of art also shines through in his presentation.