Roux Scholarship: Chef Elena Arzak named Honorary President of Judges for 2025 competition

The Roux Family is delighted to announce that acclaimed Basque chef Elena Arzak will lead the panel of judges for the Roux Scholarship final 2025 as Honorary President of Judges.

Elena Arzak is the fourth generation of her family to run the kitchen at the three-star Michelin Restaurante Arzak in San Sebastián, Spain, where she was schooled in the tenets of The New Basque Cuisine Movement, championed by her legendary father Chef Juan Mari Arzak. With additional wide-ranging experience from working in restaurants across Europe, she will bring her stellar experience to the competition’s judging panel.

She said: “As a chef and someone deeply passionate about culinary excellence, being asked to head the jury of the Roux Scholarship is both an honour and a responsibility. The Roux Scholarship stands as one of the highest accolades in culinary training, nurturing and celebrating emerging talent in our field. Leading this panel, along with Emily Roux, Clare Smyth, Angela Hartnett and Rachel Humphrey, is a chance to inspire and mentor the next generation of chefs, helping them push boundaries while honouring the Roux family’s legacy of precision, creativity and dedication to the craft.”

Chairman Michel Roux said: “Elena Arzak is one of the most accomplished chefs in the world and carries on the family tradition of championing Basque cuisine in her own innovative style. The fact that she spent several months as a young chef at Le Gavroche on a stage makes this even more special and poignant. I can’t wait to catch up and welcome her to The Roux Scholarship judging panel.”

Chairman Alain Roux said: “We’re very excited to welcome Chef Elena as our Honorary President of the Judges this year, it’s a great privilege. Like the Roux family, Chef Elena has cooking in her genes. Training and working as a chef in some of the greatest kitchens in Europe, before taking over Restaurant Arzak from her father, Chef Elena has an incredible palate and is a towering example to all upcoming young chefs.  A great champion for women in our industry and constantly innovating, pushing the boundaries of her beloved contemporary Basque cuisine, Chef Elena is an icon and source of inspiration to us all.”

Judge Emily Roux  (pictured above) said: “I am very excited to be able to judge alongside Chef Elena this year, she is one of the eight female chefs in the world who hold three Michelin stars. I am extremely lucky to have had dinner at her restaurant in San Sebastián and what an incredible experience it was. Utter perfection from start to finish!”

April Lily Partridge won The Roux Scholarship in 2023

Elena Arzak biography

Chef Elena attended hotel and restaurant management school in Lucerne, Switzerland, and went on to broaden her culinary knowledge in such restaurants as La Maison Troisgros and Pierre Gagnaire, in France, Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, Le Gavroche in London, Antica Osteria del Ponte in Italy, and El Bulli in Spain among others. She returned to the family restaurant in the 1990s and worked her way around all of the stations while creating original dishes along with her father Juan Mari, who continually supported and challenged her.

Among her many accolades, Chef Elena was given the Chef de l’Avenir Award by the International Academy of Gastronomy in May 2001. Later, in 2010, the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy granted her the National Gastronomy Award and in 2012 she was honoured to be named the World’s Best Female Chef Award by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Currently, Elena shares the helm at Arzak with her father. They are co-chefs and collaborators. Their shared history, culinary knowledge, passion and enthusiasm defines the characteristic spirit of their world-renowned restaurant.

The Judges

The judging panel will remain the same for the 2024 competition and the regional finals and national final will be overseen by: Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner CBE, Emily Roux, Sat Bains (Scholar 1999), André Garrett MCA (Scholar 2002), Simon Hulstone (Scholar 2003), Adam Smith MCA (Scholar 2012), James Martin, Clare Smyth MBE, Rachel Humphrey and Angela Hartnett OBE.

Important dates:

20^th January 2025: Deadline for applications.

6^th March 2025: Regional finalists compete, each cooking their written recipe plus a mystery box dessert recipe challenge. Regional finals take place at University College Birmingham and University of West London. Six national finalists will be shortlisted.

14th April 2025: National Final at the Alain Roux Culinary School, The Waterside Inn, and the award ceremony and dinner at Coworth Park.

Find out more about entering The Roux Scholarship here.

You may also be interested in our interviews with the following chefs: 

Ruth Hansom on making the Roux Scholarship finals in 2022 and Olivia Burt on making the Roux Scholarship finals in 2022. Plus read our ambassador Antonia Lloyd’s interview with April Lily Partridge on winning the Roux Scholarship in 2023.