GORDON Ramsey has won it, so too has Rick Stein and Raymond Blanc, but now it's the turn of Chagford's Gidleigh Park Hotel chef Michael Caines to receive one of the industry's highest honours.
Mr Caines was voted Chef of the Year in the recent Cateys awards — the industry's equivalent of the Oscars.
'This award is voted for by people in the trade so to be acknowledged by your peers in this way is fantastic,' he said.
'You can only win it once and the acknowledgment stays with you a lifetime — it really is a huge achievement for me.'
At the age of 32, the chef, who lost his right arm in a car crash in 1994, is believed to be the youngest person to ever receive the award.
Since Mr Caines joined Gidleigh Park Hotel seven years ago, it has achieved two Michelin stars and five stars in the AA Guide for its quality of food.
Mr Caines' restaurant in the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter also won Best Newcomer in the Good Food Guide last year.
When he is not cooking, the chef is working with local colleges to encourage young people into the catering industry and with the NHS in improving hospital food.
He said the award was not only good for him but also for the South West.
'This shows you do not have to be in London to achieve,' he said.