The 48th WorldSkills Competition took place in Shanghai recently, where nine US competitors from the SkillsUSA team showcased their skills against the best of the best from across the world from September 22-27, 2026. Among them was Elizabeth Brown, a 22-year-old cooking competitor from Missouri who won the competition. Brown showcased world-class culinary technique, speed and artistic precision and earned the designation among 18 other competitors in the 45-person field.
Brown’s WorldSkills appearance was supported by Unilever, ZWILLING and Smithfield Foods.
For the competition, her expert was Chef Greg Beachey, a 40-year veteran of the food service industry from Colorado.
“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. 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 that cooking has always been a constant in her life and a source of confidence and strength. 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.