LCS has announced the celebrity chefs that will serve as judges for the 2024 LCS “Chef of the Year” competition. The annual competition celebrates the hospitality and culinary talents of chefs in senior living communities owned and 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 and August 1, 2024, 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 two celebrity chefs:

• Christian Gill who rose to culinary fame for his numerous executive chef roles and culinary competitions including a victory on time on Beat Bobby Flay, will return as a second time to judge this year’s competition.
• Chef Jean-Luc Royere has achieved the esteemed title of Master Chef of France, and earlier this year was honored by the French Republic and Former French President, François Hollande, with the Order of Agricultural Merit for his outstanding contributions to agriculture and the culinary arts.

• Aron Spector – Sandhill Cove (Palm City, FL)
• Eric Woodall – Danberry at Inverness (Hoover, AL)
• Jaime Simoes Jr. – Freedom Plaza  (Sun City Center, FL)
• Jacob Kruse – Clarendale of Algonquin (Algonquin, IL)
• Matthew Eichstaedt – Capital Manor (Salem, OR)

A live stream of the Final Round on August 1 (1:30-2:50 p.m. CST) is AVAILABLE HERE for media and to support community watch parties.