SkillsUSA Names Missouri Culinary Champion to 2026 WorldSkills USA Team

SkillsUSA Contact:
Clare Briner
cbriner@skillsusa.org

LEESBURG, VA – December 16, 2025 – SkillsUSA has selected Elizabeth Brown as the official competitor for Cooking at the 2026 WorldSkills Competition. This prestigious international skills competition, often referred to as the “Olympics of skilled trades,” will be held Sept. 22 -27, 2026, in Shanghai, China.

Brown, a native of Columbia, Mo., and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, is the SkillsUSA Missouri high school state champion for culinary arts and the silver medalist in national SkillsUSA Championships for 2023. The SkillsUSA Championships are part of the annual National Leadership & Skills Conference held each June in Atlanta. 

“My experience with SkillsUSA has engrained qualities needed for me to thrive in my industry,” Brown said. “I have been taught organization, time management and work ethic, all backed by passion.”

Brown looks forward to competing against young chefs from all around the world and learning from them.

“This competition means that I have the potential to stand amongst some of each country’s best and could be a turning point for creating a successful name for myself, as well as growing myself personally as a disciplined, hardworking and passionate individual,” she said. “I have worked hard to get here and will continue doing so to prove that I should be in this spot.”

As a child curious about what her mother was cooking in their kitchen to work as a private chef and sustainable line cook, Brown said cooking has always been a constant in her life and a source of confidence and strength.

“Every day is raw and genuine, you see people in every emotion and they see yours as well and are accepted,” she said. “It’s hard work, pushes your limits but also makes you feel accomplished, like you’re a part of something bigger. Notice how every celebration, family gathering, meet-up with an old friend, food is the center. It connects, and I love to be a part of that.”

Brown’s expert for the WorldSkills Competition is Chef Greg Beachey, a 40-year veteran of the food service industry from Silt, Colo. Beachey has managed and overseen the SkillsUSA national culinary competition for more than a decade, allowing him to connect not only with the top young culinarians in the country, but also with the top educators and leading culinary professionals nationwide.

Brown’s participation in the 2026 WorldSkills is supported by Unilever, ZWILLING, the U.S. Coast Guard Culinary Program, Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, and Smithfield Foods.

Cooking is the fourth competition in which the U.S. delegation will compete during WorldSkills. WorldSkills brings together young people, industry, education, and government leaders from around the world to advance career and technical education and training. Competitors vie for international honors in skill competitions, showcasing dozens of trade skills.

SkillsUSA already has named competitors in Mechatronics, Automobile Technology and Plumbing and Heating. SkillsUSA will name additional competitors, experts and sponsors as it assembles the U.S. delegation in the coming months.

To support the WorldSkills USA team, donate at worldskillsusa.org/donate.

About WorldSkills USA

WorldSkills USA is the official U.S. representative to WorldSkills International, which is a global organization dedicated to raising the profile and recognition of skilled professionals. Since 1973, WorldSkills USA has been managed and represented by SkillsUSA.

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students, empowering them to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. SkillsUSA represents more than 444,000 career and technical education students and teachers in middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions nationwide. Those members represent 130 in-demand occupational areas, from 3-D animation to welding. A vital solution to the skills gap, SkillsUSA has served over 15 million members since its founding in 1965. Learn more at skillsusa.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

About WorldSkills

Since 1950, WorldSkills has come to symbolize the pinnacle of excellence in vocational training. It provides a unique means of exchange and comparison of world-class competency standards in the industrial trades and service sectors of the global economy. The continued growth of WorldSkills attests to the fact that traditional trade and craft skills, along with newer technology’s multi-skilled occupations, make an essential contribution to the economic and social well-being of people everywhere. For more information, go to: www.worldskills.org.