James Higgs 2026 Winner
It would be fair to say that this year’s winner of Chef of the Year is, for want of a better term, a ‘chef’s chef’. Someone who, just into their thirties, quietly commands respect from industry peers as he steers the kitchen at Lulu La Delizia in Subiaco. He joined the kitchen team in 2017 and over (almost) a decade he’s risen to his current role of head chef. . Higgs navigates diner expectations of those rusted-on dishes while turning his attention to a modern expression of Italo-Australian dining that’s one of the most celebrated nationally. It’s fair to say, for want of a better term, our winner is a ‘chef’s chef’. Someone who quietly commands respect from peers as he steers the kitchen at Lulu La Delizia. Any observer of Perth hospitality knows that Lulu is intrinsically linked to chef-patron Joel Valvasori, signature dishes a through-line to his family’s Friulian heritage. As Valvasori migrated to front of house, Higgs has navigated diner expectations of those rusted-on dishes while not losing sight of a drive to evolve and express what modern Italo-Australian dining is. Under his leadership, consistency and creativity are in lockstep, already excellent standards incrementally improve, and all the while, Higgs doesn’t court the limelight. As we said, a ‘chef’s chef’.
