A key figure in the Welsh hospitality industry has been awarded the prestigious President's Medal at the Worldchefs Congress and Expo 2026 for his work promoting the culinary arts and profession.
Peter Fuchs, culinary director of The Celtic Collection and International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), Newport, was instrumental in bringing the Congress and Expo to Wales from May 16-19 – the global event's first visit to the UK in its 98-year history.
Attracting 800 chefs from around the globe to ICC Wales, the event organised by the World Association of Chefs' Societies (Worldchefs) in partnership with the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), of which Peter is a prominent member.
Presented by Worldchefs president Andy Cuthbert, the President's Medal recognises individuals who have undertaken activities within their own country to promote the advancement and profile of the culinary arts and profession.
“This medal is recognition of the work that Peter has done, particularly over the past two years and his dedication to the Culinary Association of Wales ,” said Mr Cuthbert.
“Peter is someone who has been instrumental in the success of this congress and has kept us refreshed and fed like kings.”
Peter said:
“I wasn't expecting this medal but it's nice to be recognised for what we have done here to host this congress. It was many years in the making and finally we managed to get it here.
“I have spoken to many delegates who are surprised and didn't realise that we had this fantastic convention centre here in Wales.
“I have to say that my culinary team, under the direction of ICC Wales executive head chef Gavin McDonagh, have done a fantastic job. Without them, we could not have delivered what we have done for the congress.
“It has been a very busy two weeks, because we had other functions before the congress and the team delivered 2,000 covers last weekend alone.”
Worldchefs is a global network of more than 100 chefs' associations worldwide – the largest international membership organisation in the food and beverage industry.
Born in Austria, Peter began his career in Munich and, from 1983 to 1994, worked in South Africa before helping with the opening of Le Victoria Hotel in Mauritius where he worked for more than three years
Moving to Wales, he rose from executive chef of the 330-bedroom Celtic Manor Resort when it opened in 1999 to become director of food and beverage before leaving in 2004. He left to work as executive chef at two five-star hotels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at Harrods in London and at the Creta Maris Convention & Golf Resort in Crete before returning to the Celtic Manor Resort in 2011 to take up the new post of culinary director.
Peter was tasked with bringing all the kitchen departments together across the Celtic Manor Resort to achieve consistency in delivering a five-star offering and standards of service.
Following rapid expansion, he now performs the same role overseeing culinary operations at 10 hotels within The Celtic Collection.
In 2017, he took on the dual role of culinary director for ICC Wales where he planned the huge kitchen operation for a venue which can host 5,000 delegates at any one time and seat 2,400 people for a gala dinner.
With a keen interest in the professional development of his teams, Peter also supervises the culinary training programmes for The Celtic Collection and ICC Wales.
He has created menus and managed food delivery for many special occasions, including royal visits, the NATO Summit in 2014 and Formula One Grands Prix.
His roles with the CAW included managing the first Junior Culinary Team Wales which was formed to compete at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg in 2002. He went on to manage both the junior and senior teams for international competitions.
