A Newport chef has been named as captain of the Senior Culinary Team Wales at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart next month.

Sergio Cinotti, from the award-winning Gemelli Restaurant, Newport, has taken over the captaincy for the first time. The team is made up of Nick Davies, culinary craft trainer with Cambrian Training, Welshpool, who combines the roles of team manager and member, Will Richards from Cambrian Training, Dylan Wyn Owen, Manchester City Football Club’s executive chef, Matthew Smith, freelance chef from Newtown, Mark Robertson from Coleg Cambria, Wrexham, Jay Humphris from Coleg y Cymoedd and Thomas Martin, a freelance chef from Pontypridd. Logistics manager is Peter Fuchs, culinary director of The Celtic Collection and ICC Wales, Newport.

The senior team will be joined by a junior team headed by Michael Kirkham-Evans, a lecturer at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, Rhos-on-Sea, as manager and former senior team captain Danny Burke, a partner in Olive Tree Catering, Runcorn, as coach.

Other junior team members are captain Callum Smith, The Lion and Pheasant, Shrewsbury, pastry chef Alys Evans, Llanerch Vineyard, Pontyclun, Lara Walker, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Dalton Weir, Home from Home, Llandudno, Morgan Read, Brook House Mill, Denbigh, Alice Yeomans, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Great Milton, Oxford and James Jarvis, Sebastians Restaurant, Oswestry.

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The two teams will join around 2,000 chefs and pastry chefs from more than 60 nations at the biggest and oldest international culinary art exhibition from February 14 to 19.

The senior team has held four events to run through the dishes it will cook for the Restaurant of Nations - one element of the competition - at the Culinary Olympics.

Nick Davies, who is competing in his fifth Culinary Olympics said: "The team has a good mix of seasoned competitors and new members who have brought some fresh ideas to the table. Most of the chefs will be competing at the Culinary Olympics for the first time and are understandably excited by the prospect. They have bonded very well.

“Our Restaurant of Nations menu is looking and tasting good and we are perfecting the chef’s edible buffet, which is being introduced for the first time at the Culinary Olympics.”

Culinary Team Wales is sponsored by the Welsh Government’s Food and Drink Wales, Cambrian Training Company, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, Castell Howell Foods, Hybu Cig Cymru and Harlech Foods.