LCS has announced the celebrity chefs that will serve as judges for the 2025 LCS Chef of the Year competition. The annual competition celebrates the culinary expertise of executive chefs in senior living communities owned or managed by Life Care Services. 

The competition will feature five chef finalists who will compete in a three-round, “chopped-style” cook-off competition in front of a live audience on July 31, 2025, at the Sysco Test Kitchens in Houston, Texas. The winning LCS chef will take home a $10,000 grand prize.

This year’s event will feature the following celebrity chefs:

• Chef Christian Gill who rose to culinary fame for his numerous executive chef roles and culinary competitions including a victory on Beat Bobby Flay, will return for the third time to judge this year’s competition.
• Chef Neil Doherty, Corporate Executive Chef and Sr. Director of Culinary Development at Sysco, has been instrumental in leading the enterprise’s culinary strategy and is also responsible for providing product and culinary training expertise to Sysco’s international entities.
• Chef Tse Richmond is an accomplished cuisine and pastry chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. After working in Michelin star restaurants, she returned to Portland to teach at Le Cordon Bleu Portland and the Art Institute of Portland’s International Culinary Program. She is currently teaching culinary classes at the Oregon Culinary Institute.
• Andrew Christman is a journalist for Senior Housing News and an award-winning photographer. A passionate reader and writer, he is dedicated to telling stories and educating others about the senior living industry.

The five finalists competing for 2025 LCS Chef of the Year title include:

• Eduardo Franco — The Forum at Rancho San Antonio (Cupertino, CA)
• Brandon Martinez — Amavida at Lakes Park (Fort Myers, FL)
• Steven Pont — Essex Meadows (Essex, CT)
• Jaime Simoes Jr. — Freedom Plaza (Sun City Center, FL)
• Michael Wagner — Mercy Ridge (Timonium, MD)

To watch the LIVE final round of the competition on July 31 at 1:30 p.m. (CST), click here!