The six finalists for the Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year 2016 have been announced .The six young finalists in the final judging process are:
- Maeve Walsh, aged 23, Chef de Partie Restaurant FortyOne at Residence, Dublin. Maeve’s mentor is Head Chef Graham Neville
- Glen Sutcliffe, aged 23, Chef de Partie, The Marker Hotel, Dublin 2. Glen’s mentor is Gareth Mullins
- Chris Fullam, aged 23, Sous Chef at Old Street, Malahide Dublin. Chris’s mentor is Fergus Caffrey
- Killian Crowley, aged 24, Chef de Partie at Aniar, Galway City. Killian’s mentor is JP McMahon
- Gary Doyle, aged 25, Chef de Partie, at The Canteen, Celbridge, Co Kildare. Gary’s mentor is James Sheridan
- Marc McWilliams, aged 25, Chef de Partie at The Brooklodge and Strawberry Tree restaurant, Wicklow. Marc McWilliams’ mentor is Evan Doyle
The theme of this year’s competition, which began three months ago, is Inspiration. The first task in the competition saw the candidates write a social media entry, expressing their inspiration in no more than 140 characters. In the second round, saw the competitors write a recipe along with an entry detailing their thought processes. Successful candidates then had to take part in face to face interviews and an on the spot omelette challenge in front of a panel of Euro-toques judges, including the GM of La Rousse Foods.
The six successful candidates will now face a cooking competition in the kitchen of Chapter One on November 27th with two separate skills tests in two hours in front of a panel of chefs – including 2 star Michelin chef Nathan Outlaw and Great Irish Bake-Off judge Paul Kelly.
Euro-toques Ireland are celebrating their 30th year, with the Young Chef of the Year in its 29th year. The Irish branch of Euro-toques was founded in 1986 by Myrtle Allen, founder of the famed Ballymaloe House restaurant and cookery school.
