Her mouth-watering street food has won a Retford entrepreneur a silver award in a prestigious London cook-off competition.

Judged by a panel including Michelin-starred chef Adam Handling MBE, Kara Wilkinson of Retford cooked and presented her renowned paella dish in the final of the Street Food Salon Competition at the International Salon Culinaire, ExCel, London on March 30.

Describing herself as “really pleased” to receive the silver award, Kara, 42, of Kara’s Kitchen, told how she and her former sous chef James Gill spent the day at the Food and Hospitality show at Excel.

She said: “We were cooking from a really impressive container set-up by Amobox, essentially a fully kitted-out shipping container kitchen that was completely plug-and-play.

Kara Wilkinson of Retford with Michelin-starred chef Adam Handling MBE, at Excel in London.

placeholder image — Kara Wilkinson of Retford with Michelin-starred chef Adam Handling MBE, at Excel in London.

“We cooked for the judges at 11:30am, preparing a chicken and chorizo paella, served with patatas bravas and prawns.

There were four judges in total, including Adam Handling, who tried our food and gave us some really positive feedback, saying he thoroughly enjoyed it. "

She continued: “The event itself was brilliant: there were talks throughout the day covering topics such as how trends are currently affecting restaurant sales, alongside showcases of the latest innovations in cooking equipment.

"It was a great environment to connect with other like-minded people in the industry.

Kara's Kitchen achieved a silver award from the International Salon Culinaire at Excel, London.

"As for the competition, it wasn’t too nerve-wracking, we just focused on doing what we do best.

“The judges asked some thoughtful questions about our process, ingredients, and preparation, which made the experience even more engaging”.

Kara was also delighted to be tagged in a social media post by Salon Culinaire where she can be spotted cooking in the background.

Her street food caters for all palates, from high protein meals to dishes for those on special diets, vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters.

Kara has been in the food industry for nine years, and has been a British Street Food Awards finalist twice.

International Salon Culinaire has been running since 1902 and is a very prestigious chef competition – the street food salon is a new addition for 2026 reflecting the skill of chefs and quality of food and innovation in that sector.