Athlone Institute of Technology student Maria Dunne was crowned the winner of the Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year 2020 competition on Tuesday March 10.
Dunne was one of eight students from various third level institutions across the island of Ireland who competed in the competition, which took place at TU Dublin, Tallaght Campus.
"2020: The Future of Foods"
The competition's theme was "2020: The Future of Foods". The participating students were required to create two dishes that were inspired by sustainability and driving positive environmental change.
Dunne impressed the competition's judges with her application of sustainability and local ingredients to produce her starter and main course.
Using ingredients from the Knorr Professional Future 50 Foods Report as well as food items that she foraged herself from An Ghrian Glas Farm in Co. Westmeath, Dunne created her own take on garlic mushrooms with a garlic purée and foraged greens as her starter.
Her main course was a ling and spelt dish that was comprised of confit ling, Dunany organic spelt, cauliflower purée, lemon foam, wakame and An Ghrian Glas Farm greens.
Dunne was commended by the judges for her display of creativity and sustainability in the kitchen.
"An Honour"
Commenting on her win, Dunne said, "It's such an honour to receive this award. This competition gives chefs of the future a platform to make a name for ourselves before heading out to the workforce. Everyone did so well today and it was amazing to compete against my fellow peers. I want to thank everyone for the opportunity, especially my lecturers."
© 2020 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
