Chef Jack Coghill, of Jack ‘O’Bryan’s Bar and Kitchen in Dunfermline, has been declared the 2025 Scottish Excellence Young Chef of the Year.
Having been Highly Commended in the same category last year, the 25-year-old has now achieved his ambition of winning the title outright.
At 25-years-old, Jack is already a head chef with an impressive track record, as well as an acclaimed pastry chef and chocolatier.
His talents have already seen Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s win the Forth One Restaurant of the Year Award, and finish as a close runner up in the SLTN Awards Fine Dining Restaurant category last November.
Accompanied by wife Sarah, and mum and dad Michelle and Bryan, plus other members of the Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s team, he collected his latest trophy at last week’s Excellence Awards ceremony, held at The Glasgow Hilton.
Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s was the only Fife-based business to take a prize at the 2025 Excellence Awards.
“I am absolutely delighted to win Scottish Excellence Young Chef of the Year,” he said. “We had a fantastic night with my nearest and dearest here with me to see me pick up this really impressive, and extremely heavy, trophy!
“It will take pride of place on the bar at Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s first thing tomorrow morning.
“Having just missed out on the top award last year, it’s even more satisfying to achieve it this year. Once again, the level of competition was extremely high, and I’d like to send my congratulations to all the winners and those that were nominated.
“The hospitality sector is a tough but rewarding sector, that has been through the mill of late. These awards certainly celebrate the very best that it has to offer in Scotland,” added Jack.
The Scottish Excellence Young Chef of the Year was sponsored by potato brand Albert Bartlett, with which TV chef James Martin, chef host of the popular Saturday Kitchen programme, has recently collaborated.
“I have a few good contacts with Saturday Kitchen, through my pastry chef mentor and friend, Mark Tilling, who regularly appears on the programme,” added Jack.
“My win is a perfect opportunity to pursue these contacts, with a view to hopefully taking part in the show sometime soon, as a guest chef. That kind of profile is certainly my aim at the moment.”
The family are now getting ready to open their next restaurant, The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack across the Forth near South Queensferry.
“We would like to thank our existing Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s customers who have wished us well with the new venture, and said that they will be coming along as soon as it opens.
“We look forward to an extremely busy summer as we continue to develop both Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s, maintaining our excellence there, and bedding in The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack, which will shine a light on the finest fish and seafood.”
