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Inaugural Junior Chef Ireland Competition celebrates Ireland’s young culinary talent
Inaugural Junior Chef Ireland Competition celebrates Ireland’s young culinary talent. Bernadette Enright, Tom Flavin, Mia Hennelly, Fergus Quinlivan, Tony Brazil, Diarmuid O’Callaghhan, Donnacha Mc Namara. Photo: Brian Arthur Photography
The Inaugural Junior Chef Ireland Competition celebrated Ireland’s young culinary talent when six students were chosen to compete in the final
Limerick Central Rotary Club hosted the inaugural final of the Junior Chef Ireland Competition in conjunction with TUS Midwest, and Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, on 16th May 2023.
Entries came from all over Ireland, with six students being chosen to compete in the final, which took place in the kitchens of the TUS Moylish Campus. Mia Hennelly from St Anne’s in Killaloe was announced as the winner on the day.
This competition, open to all students in full-time secondary school education, was sponsored by the Limerick Central Rotary Club, Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, and TUS. The perpetual trophy was kindly sponsored by Mr Luke Nolan of KBR Foodservice Equipment, and the winner also received a set of professional kitchen knives, kindly sponsored by Sinead Marron of Limerick Central Rotary Club.
Organiser Tom Flavin, Chef and Food Consultant and Youth Chair of the Limerick Central Rotary Club, commented, “Putting the talents of these budding chefs in the spotlight will help to highlight the many opportunities for students wishing to take up culinary arts as a profession, either by apprenticeships or in full-time third level education courses throughout Ireland. We are looking forward to repeating this successful competition next year”.
Bernadette Enright, Campus Manager of the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s College of Further Education and Training Hospitality Campus, stated, “We must continue to support and encourage hospitality training at secondary school level. It’s incredible to see the talent that has been demonstrated in the competition”.
Joe Mulcahy, Head of Section, Culinary and Hospitality, TUS said, “It was a fantastic event which we look forward to hosting again in the future”.