They represented Ireland at the 2022 World final in Monaco.
Ireland’s exceptional young chefs and waiters being put to the test to determine which team would represent Ireland at the World Young Chef Young Waiter (YCYW) 2022 Competition in Monaco.
A star-spangled line up of judges including leading chefs and hospitality professionals selected the finalists. The competition was held at four different locations in Ireland; namely the Oak Room Restaurant at Adare Manor Co. Limerick; The Merrion Hotel Dublin; Aniar Restaurant Galway; and The Winding Stair, Dublin.
Each chef and waiter team competed under the watchful eye of the venues’ Executive Chefs together with hospitality judges. Detailed examining of both disciplines covered wider industry knowledge, a range of practical tasks as well as theory and scenarios which were all marked across a matrix of key skills and attributes. The process resulted in a very close finish indicating the very high standards of all the finalists.
The winning Ireland Young Chef for 2022 is Ciara Kenneally of the Oak Room Restaurant at Adare Manor, Co. Limerick.
The winning Ireland Young Waiter for 2022 is Emma Jackson of Liath Restaurant, Dublin.
2022 was the inaugural competition in Ireland, though the awards were first established in 1979 and re-launched in 2019 internationally.
The Ireland winners will compete at the World Final against the winners of National competitions in Canada, England, Wales, the Cayman Islands, USA, Singapore and Macao.
Robert Lee Mulcahy, Chairman of Young Chef Young Waiter (YCYW) Ireland and Monaco commented,
“The high standard of entries for this year’s competition shows a real desire not just to compete at a national level but internationally too.”
“The YCYW Ireland initiative celebrates our emerging talent with the winners going on to compete on the world stage. It also promotes culinary arts and hospitality as a valid career choice and aims to encourage a continuous flow of talent to the industry.”
“We have had the pleasure of expert support from TUS (Technical University Shannon) Midlands Mid-West so it is a matter of great delight that Ciara Kenneally trained at the TUS location, and was independently judged to be the Young Chef winner for Ireland.
“Thank you to our panel of judges and the support teams in the competition locations for all their support in making this years’ Young Chef Young Waiter (YCYW) 2022 Competition such a success.”
Chairman of the judging Panel, Richard Corrigan, The Corrigan Collection, commented,
“The high standard of entries for the YCYW Ireland 2022 competition demonstrates the quality of those entering the industry. We need to work more closely with education bodies to ensure a constant stream of culinary and hospitality professionals entering the industry.”
The remaining finalists were awarded first, second and third runners’ up and represented an exciting breadth of geographical talent:
Runners up Young Chef
Calum Falls – AIMSIR
Stiofán Feeney – ANIAR
Jordan Quinn – Off the Bone Gastropub
Runners up Young Waiter
Hugh Graham – Dromoland Castle
Victoria O’Hara – Shannon College of Hotel Management
Alice Buckley – Shannon College of Hotel Management
31st October 2022
