How a Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat finalist made sustainability a priority
At 22 years old, Spirit House Chef Ashton Teed is clear about why sustainability is at the forefront of his mind when he is in the kitchen.
“Winning the award means a great deal to me because I’m able to show young chefs that there are different ways to use food scraps and think more creatively about reducing waste,”
“It helps reduce waste, manage food costs and avoid having extra produce sitting around that might end up being thrown away,” Teed tells Hospitality. “Often, venues can be sustainable in very simple ways. Sustainability isn’t just about putting scraps into stocks and sauces, you can make really creative things.”
Teed didn’t set out to be a chef, and started his hospitality career as a kitchen hand washing dishes. He didn’t intend to pursue cooking at the time, but after moving into larder during his first job at 16, he “fell in love with it” and started his apprenticeship.
After three years, he moved to a fine dining bistro. After becoming a qualified chef, he moved to Spirit House in Yandina, Queensland, where he now works under Tom Hitchcock. “Since then, we’ve gone on to do many great things, and I’ve learned so much,” Teed says.
Teed received the Most Sustainable Approach Award at the 2026 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award. For the competition, the chef focused on sourcing produce from local farmers and repurposing food scraps into vinegars and different types of miso.
When he was planning his dishes for the competition’s final round, Teed considered sustainability by focusing on how he could use whole ingredients. “Luckily for us, the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Award team took us to South Melbourne Market, where we were able to visit the fruit and vegetable shops and choose our own vegetables and produce. This helped a lot because we could find the perfect produce for each dish.”
Being able to go to the markets made it easier for participants to be more sustainable, as they could choose specific quantities of ingredients. His final menu aimed to find the right balance between flavour and utilising entire ingredients, which took time and consideration. “In the end, it worked out really well,” says the chef. “I practised a lot to get the flavours to work across the whole dish.
“My zucchini purée and capsicum dressing were both made using scraps. Carrot and capsicum offcuts were used in the capsicum dressing to season and dress my entrée tartare, while the zucchini, onion, garlic and spices were used for a zucchini purée on my main course. I could base the whole dish and its components around a few vegetables instead of ordering many different ingredients.”
As the winner of the Most Sustainable Approach Award, Teed received a $1,000 cash prize, along with an immersive culinary experience in Sydney, which includes a session with leading chefs from the National Indigenous Culinary Institute and a one-on-one masterclass with Nestlé Professional Executive Chef Elke Travers.
The young chef says he is really excited to visit Sydney and spend time learning from the National Indigenous Culinary Institute and to better understand how native ingredients and sustainable menu design can be used in the kitchen.
“Winning the award means a great deal to me because I’m able to show young chefs that there are different ways to use food scraps and think more creatively about reducing waste,” he says. “I hope to make even more creative things and keep pushing the limits of sustainability.”
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