Greenough and fellow finalist Craig Johnston were staged at Heston Blumenthal from Monday 16 June for one week, where they were assessed by head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts.
Palmer-Watts said he was ‘extremely impressed’ with both young chefs, but 22-year-old Greenough emerged the winner after leading by a couple of points.
“It was incredibly close between the two of them and it was very hard to choose the winner, but Emily just had the edge over Craig,” he explained.
Commenting on her win, Greenough said: I'm still waiting for it to sink in! There are no words to describe how happy I am.
“To have Ashley Palmer Watts choose me as the winner is a honour. When I first entered The Chef Stagiaire I didn't know what to expect, but it's the best decision I've ever made.
“Going to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was a real treat! It's an amazing kitchen, with an amazing team. And the food is out of this world!”
The young chef has won an all-expenses paid two week trip to work alongside Dominique Crenn at her Atelier Crenn restaurant in San Franscisco before jetting off to experience working at the Six Senses ‘Zinghy Bay Resort’ in Oman for another two weeks.
The Chef Stagiaire Award
The Chef Stagiaire Award was launched this year to discover the best young British chefs making a name for themselves in the industry.
Open to chefs under the age of 24, the competition offers the chance to stage at some of the UK’s top Michelin-starred restaurants.
The two finalists were highly commended by the judges – with Greenough offered a job by Tom Duffill after she completed a stage with him at Arbutus in London, and Johnston praised by Alan Muchison for cooking ‘beautiful dishes under pressure’ during his stage at L’Ortolan in Berkshire.
"It was a very close final and both competitors should feel very proud of what they have achieved,” said Tim Blake, director of the Chef Stagiaire Award.
“I'm sure they both have very bright futures ahead of them, the level of talent throughout the competition has been extremely high and Emily has shown she has the ability to succeed at the highest level, she is definitely one to watch in the future.
“My thanks go out to all the competitors and host restaurants for making this competition a success, maybe we will be welcoming Emily back as a judge in the years to come."