GMIT hosts European Young Chef Competition (26 Nov) at FoodieForum
On Monday 26 November, The Galway International Hotel School, GMIT, will host the 2018 European Region of Gastronomy Young Chef competition in conjunction with The FoodieForum educational platform.
Ten young chefs from countries throughout Europe including Galway’s Andrew Ishmael will contest the title which was won in 2017 by GMIT’s Aisling Rock who travelled to Barcelona to represent Galway in this competition. Aisling, the youngest and only female in the competition, took the top prize and the accolade of The European Young Chef, 2017 with her mackerel dish and an impressive story about how local food has inspired her as a young chef.
This year Andrew Ishmael will hope to retain that title for Galway as he competes against young chefs from Italy, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Romania, Slovenia, Greece and Portugal.
This award, an Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT) initiative now in its third year, aims to promote innovation on traditional cuisine, highlight sustainable food cultures and create future chef ambassadors for regions as well as for local food products.
Head of the Culinary Arts Department Jacinta Dalton says “We are delighted to host this international competition in GMIT. The ethos of the competition is one that we support in terms of profiling up and coming young chefs, and we aspire to the further inclusion and promotion of local food produce in our teaching kitchens and educating students around the importance of local food provenance – this is one of the reasons we conceived the idea of the FoodieForum in 2010 and it is fitting that we would once again stage the FoodieForum in conjunction with this competition which is being kindly sponsored by Nisbets, catering supplies.”
While the young chefs are toiling in the competition kitchens, a number of educational workshops will take place on campus. Chef Network will host a “meat and butchery nose to tail masterclass” with Chef Wade Murphy and Butcher John Dunne. Bookings for this can be made directly via the chef network website.
Other workshops include “Exploring the Wildside” with Mark Cribbin of Ballyhoura Mushrooms and Ulrich Hoeche, forager and lecturer in GMIT.
GMIT graduate Paula Stakelum, internationally acclaimed pastry chef from Ashford Castle, will host an interactive chocolate workshop with GMIT lecturer, Mary Reid. Owner of Ireland’s leading Mexican Boutique Picado, Lily Ramirez-Foran will be on hand in the demo kitchen with her “too hot to handle” demonstration and Conor Spacey of FoodSpace along with Niamh Fox of Little Fox” Ennistymon will host a “Zero Waste Kitchen” workshop showcasing the innovation that can exist around sustainable food production in kitchens of all sizes.
GMIT lecturers will host bread workshops, and seafood workshops for pupils from nearby Gaelscoil Dara along with Yoshimi Hayakawa from Wa Café and Keith Carden from Hooked in conjunction with the FEAST project, a non-profit, student volunteer organisation working to better the food education system in Ireland.
Whiskey, Sherry and natural wine enthusiasts are also in for a treat with masterclasses by GMIT lecturer and sherry educator Elizabeth Fox, Sommelier from Aniar Zsolt Lukács and Seamus Lowry, whiskey expert. Bookings for all of these sessions can be made via Eventbrite.
The indoor artisan market is back again with an array of local producers displaying and selling their goods in advance of the Christmas rush.
The Foodie Forum and viewing of the European Young Chef presentations are open to the public and industry colleagues – all are welcome.
Issued by Regina Daly
GMIT Communications Officer
GMIT, Dublin Road, Galway
Tel. 091 742826 / 087-9618355 (m) regina.daly@gmit.ie
www.gmit.ie/news
