Chef – February 2018

Defending Irish food as emphatically is a
new generation of Irish chefs who are taking
the concept of modern Irish cuisine and
defining it as comprehensively. Don’t arrive
here expecting bacon and cabbage or Irish
stew, because you are way behind the curve,
Irish cuisine has moved on and then some.
Irish Chefs are innovating and modern Irish
cuisine has its own social media campaign.
Launched in 2017 by Failte Ireland, (Irish
Tourist Board), if you want to know what
is truly representative of Irish cuisine in
2018 then start with #thisisirishfood@
thisisirishfood.

As Ireland’s contemporary food scene has

evolved, at a grass roots level ambassadors

have emerged. These leaders and innovators

are contributing to Irish cuisine through their

own individual roles and businesses. They

are working within their communities to

develop Ireland’s immense food potential.

They come from a variety of backgrounds

and they all have different roles in the

championing of Irish food. They want to

shout from the rooftops about Ireland’s

unique food experience; one that is honest

and authentic, one that is as much about

the people as it is about the product and

the recipes. But they also want to educate,

develop, connect the dots and show that

what they promise, they deliver.

To gain some perspective about the Dublin

restaurant scene, we met with three chefs

each making their own innovative contribution.

We began on the northside, with ross lewis

of Michelin starred, Chapter one before

heading south, to the five star Merrion hotel,

to meet Head Chef, ed Cooney. Finally, to

Dublin’s famous Temple Bar, where Chef niall

sabongi has just opened abrand new seafood

restaurant, the seafood Café.

Another young chef, Killian Crowley, chef de partie at the Michelin starred, Anair in Galway,

was named the winner of the san Pellegrino young Chef 2018 regional final for uK and

ireland with hisTurbot, Kohlrabi and Sea Purslane dish. He is now a finalist in the global search

to find the best young chef in the world; the final will take place in Milan in May 2018.

Another Irish success at the european young Chef for 2017 was for 21 year old student,

Aisling rock from Galway, a student at GMIT. When an international jury, chaired by Argiro

barbarigou awarded the prize to the only woman in the final for her dish Mackerel, Pickle

and Sheep Yoghurt,Irish cuisine was also on the podium. Aisling’s dish featured preserved fish

using a traditional curing method. She also emphasised the tradition of sheep farming in the

west of Ireland, by including sheep yoghurt in the dish. Aisling told the jury she wanted them to

“experience my story and my region through my food.”