Aramark chefs put skill and innovation to the test at EMPOWER Culinary Challenge 2026
Aramark Ireland will host the EMPOWER Culinary Challenge 2026 later this month, bringing together 14 of its top female chefs for a high-profile showcase of culinary talent, creativity, and innovation. Taking place on Thursday 26th February, the event reflects Aramark’s commitment to developing talent, promoting gender equality in the kitchen, and embedding sustainable practices across its operations.
Celebrating female leadership in the culinary sector.
The EMPOWER Culinary Challenge underscores Aramark Ireland’s focus on nurturing talent and fostering innovation, while creating opportunities to celebrate female leadership in the culinary sector. By providing a platform for its top female chefs to collaborate, experiment, and push culinary boundaries, the challenge demonstrates the organisation’s dedication to building the next generation of skilled, innovative, and sustainable culinary professionals.
A high-pressure test of creativity, skill and sustainability
The chefs will be randomly paired into seven teams and challenged to prepare a full main course using locally sourced ingredients from a pre-defined basket. With just 30 minutes to select ingredients and plan their dishes, followed by one hour to cook, plate, and submit, the competition tests not only technical skill but also creativity, teamwork, and innovation. Extra points will be awarded for initiatives that reduce food waste, encouraging chefs to incorporate by-products such as vegetable peelings in inventive ways.
The finalist teams include Ana Maria Nechita (Barbazon Nursing Home) and Princess Cyrene Marie Caballero (AIB Molesworth Street), Jennifer Rabe (Allianz) and Nicola Ward (Aramark Head Office), Kasja Dolinski (ETB) and Mafalda Menenes Nunez (JP Morgan), Anna Damasiewicz (Barbazon Nursing Home) and Ann McGrath (State Street Bank), Rosilei Mattos (GSH) and Julia de Souza (GSH), Mirna Romac (Apple) and Nathalia Fernandes Baptista (Apple), and Luana Silva Carvalho Ranito (RHD) and Denise Souza (RHD).
The judging panel will assess each dish on creativity, technical skill, teamwork, presentation, and sustainability. Judges include Marie Smyth, Head of Business Sales Development; Sarah McDonnell, Key Account Manager; Sinead Corbally, Sustainability Manager at Aramark; and Derek Reilly, Director of Culinary at Aramark Ireland.
Derek Reilly, Director of Culinary at Aramark Ireland, said:
“The EMPOWER Culinary Challenge is more than a competition. It is a platform for our female chefs to push boundaries, showcase their creativity under pressure, and explore new ways to work with local, sustainable ingredients. It celebrates technical skill, ambition and leadership while fostering collaboration and mentorship across our teams.
Events like this are vital for building confidence, inspiring innovation and demonstrating the impact that strong, inclusive leadership can have both in the kitchen and across the wider community. We wish all the participants every success and look forward to seeing their talent recognised on a national stage.”
