2026 The Sun's School Chef Champion TRACY NWABIA, SPA SECONDARY SCHOOL, BERMONDSEY, LONDON

Our 2026 ‘School Chef Champion’ winner, Tracy, runs a school kitchen in Inner London where healthy, meat-free food has become the norm and through her efforts she has transformed Spa Secondary School’s food culture into something truly exciting.

Leading a small but mighty team of three, Tracy is completely dedicated to serving up high-quality, delicious vegetarian meals every single day for a school community where all pupils have an autism diagnosis. She thoughtfully and carefully tailors menus to meet complex sensory and dietary needs, ensuring that no child is ever an afterthought and everyone is fed with dignity. 

But she doesn’t stop there. Tracy brings the classroom to the kitchen, working alongside weekly cooking lessons where pupils even keep chickens on-site and use their eggs to understand exactly where food comes from. 

By introducing symbols onto the menus so non-verbal pupils can easily choose their meals, and launching a student voting system to recommend dishes, she has given the children real ownership over their food. The result? Packed lunches have plummeted and menu uptake has soared to an incredible 94%!

Congrats, Chef Tracy!

WHAT THE CELEB JUDGES THOUGHT…

“As a mum, I know that getting children excited about healthy food isn’t always easy. What Tracy has created is really special because she’s made food something pupils genuinely look forward to. The fact that children feel involved, included and excited about what’s on their plates says so much about the environment she’s built. Making healthy, meat-free meals feel fun and enjoyable every day is no small thing and Tracy should be incredibly proud.” Dani Dyer

Huge thanks to our headline partner, Wonde, for making the awards possible.