A CAMPAIGN to find a dedicated and deserving chef who serves the Worcestershire community has caused quite a stir.

Nominations have been flying in from people eager to champion the culinary stars they think should win the inaugural Community Chef Award.

We previously reported how Worcester Feast, Worcester’s first major food and drink festival, has teamed up with your Worcester News to start the search for the county chefs who are hard at work 365 days a year out of the glare of the spotlight. We want to celebrate those who slave over stoves in hospitals, schools, colleges, care homes and council offices.

The Community Chef Award competition will also help to raise money for Acorns Children’s Hospice in Worcester.

One of the first to be nominated is Sheila Palmer, who cooks at St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Street, Worcester.

The 73-year-old, of Callow End, near Worcester, has been serving up scrumptious food for people aged 50 and over for the past eight to 10 years.

She said: “I was a member of the church and was asked to help out with the washing up because they were short one particular time. I did that and enjoyed it so I continued working with everyone and just started to help with the food preparation before I ended up being the cook. I enjoy it very, very much.”

Mrs Palmer said she cooks for between 50 and 60 people every Thursday and said she felt her nomination should go in part to them.

She said: “They have been coming for many years. They all help with the washing-up and we make a very good team. We all work together well.”

Mrs Palmer said she tends to cook traditional dishes such as a roast dinner, liver, onions and bacon, cottage pie, and summer chicken casserole. There’s often dessert too, such as tarte tatin.

Do you know someone worthy of winning the Community Chef Award? To make your nomination, visit worcesterfeast.com by Friday, July 31. A shortlist of three will be chosen from the entries. The finalists will be invited to a cook-off judged by a panel of professionals, including catering specialists. The winner will then have their own slot at the Worcester Feast Cookery Theatre to demonstrate their culinary skills.