This September, our Chef’s Theatre is going to look a little different.
Actually, quite a lot different.
For 2026, we’re completely reimagining the space – moving away from the traditional festival marquee and creating a new home for our chefs inside two beautiful linked tipis, right in the heart of Lemon Quay.
And we’re working with the Cornish Tent Co to bring it all to life.
A new home for our chefs
The Chef’s Theatre has always been one of the busiest parts of Truro Food Festival. It’s where you can grab a seat, watch some brilliant people cook, pick up a few ideas and hear the stories behind the food.
This year, we wanted to give that experience a home with a bit more character.
Canvas overhead. A brand-new demonstration kitchen. The smell of food cooking over fire. Chefs just a few metres away. And a space that feels as good when you’re sitting down for a demo in the afternoon as it does when the lights come on in the evening.
The team at Cornish Tent Co know a thing or two about creating spaces like that, and they’re helping us transform a corner of Lemon Quay into something pretty special.
Our vision for the new Chef’s Theatre on Lemon Quay. (AI-generated visualisation)
A brand-new demo kitchen
It’s not just the surroundings that are changing.
At the centre of the new Chef’s Theatre will be a completely new demonstration kitchen and stage, built specifically for the festival and designed around live cooking.
We want our chefs to be able to properly cook, rather than simply demonstrate – whether that means pans on the hob, something roasting in the oven or charcoal glowing in a Big Green Egg.
More importantly, we want you to feel part of it.
You’ll be able to sit down, watch everything happening in front of you, hear from the chefs and hopefully leave with a few new ideas – or at the very least feeling hungry.
From daytime demos to evenings around the table
And when the daytime demonstrations finish, the Chef’s Theatre won’t be closing its doors.
For the first time this year, the space will transform for our new Feast Nights.
Our vision for the Chef’s Theatre as it transforms for our evening Feast Nights. (AI-generated visualisation)
The same kitchen, fire and canvas that form the backdrop to our daytime programme will become the setting for a series of intimate evening dining experiences, with visiting chefs taking over the kitchen and cooking for festival guests.
It means the space gets to change with the festival – lively and bustling during the day, then a little warmer and more intimate as evening arrives.
We can already picture it.
And we can’t wait to see it sitting there on Lemon Quay.
Our Chef’s Theatre demonstrations are free to attend throughout Truro Food Festival, from Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 September 2026.
More details on the full chef programme and our new Feast Nights are coming soon.
