Professional Cookery students Michelle McCormack and Liviu Morosan from the School of Culinary Arts & Food Technology, TU Dublin swept the boards at the recent Chef Ireland National Competitions held at CATEX (National Catering Exhibition). This national exhibition which runs over 3 days was held in the RDS, Dublin attracting over 400 chefs from the countries best hotels, restaurants, pubs and culinary colleges. Michelle McCormack (3rd Year Professional Cookery Student) outstanding performances seen her awarded two gold medals, for her Chicken Saute Dish and her 3-course gourmet meal plus a silver medal in the junior pork competition. She was also awarded the gold medal and trophy for the overall hygiene winner from the FSPA (Food Safety Professional Association), and the overall top prize of the show ‘Junior Grand Prix and gold medal for the overall best junior competitor’. Liviu Morosan (3rd Year Professional Cookery Student) was also awarded the gold medal in the 3-course gourmet meal competition and a silver medal in the Asian cuisine competition.
Both Michelle and Liviu stated that ‘it was a great honour to be awarded these medals at this level, thanking Manor Farm Chickens for their support they added that culinary arts has already opened up a world of opportunities for them both which they had never previously imagined’. Michelle and Liviu’s mentor George Smith (Lecturer Culinary Arts, TU Dublin)stated that ‘this is a very exciting and rewarding time for young chefs adding that the goal of TU Dublin at our new state of the art food and culinary arts facilities based on the Grangegorman Campus is to raise the profile of the culinary arts, and to try to encourage more young people to consider it as a career option’. George finally added that ‘an event like the ‘All-Ireland Chef Championships’ run by Chef Ireland are a major opportunity to get recognition of your talent as a chef’.
