Competitors in Celtic Cook Off 2013 Announced!
We are pleased to announce the line up of All-Star competitors for the Celtic Cook Off 2013, and delighted to yet again be bringing new chefs from the Celtic Nations into the kitchen and in to the heart of West Cork.
Taking place on Wednesday 11th September as part of the A Taste of West Cork Festival here at the West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen, this year’s all-star line up includes:
Winning Dish from 2012 by Gary O'Hanlon
The format for the Celtic Cook Off 2013 remains similar to the previous years; there are some exciting new twists to freshen up the format. With the event having a theme of “Bringing New Chefs into the Kitchen” and which will see both the judging panel and MC team be more high powered and international than years gone by.
Conditions of this competition are simple enough – each of our participating chefs selects the ingredients for their own dish from the wide range of produce that we enjoy regularly in West Cork, and in addition can bring with them one wild card ingredient from their own Celtic region.
On the night – two sets of three chefs will cook live in front of an audience of over 200 food enthusiasts with helpful commentary and interviews provided by compere for the night, John McKenna of the McKenna’s Guides. Each chef will prepare three plates of their chosen dish for the six judges, who will work together in pairs and be asked to taste and comment on the dishes.
Last years winner Gary O'Hanlon with Scottish competitor Tony Singh
The judges this year have been specially select from a variety of backgrounds to give a wider cross section of views and opinions and will include:Veronica Steele of Milleens Cheese; Virginia Sumsion, Loch Fyne Oysters; food writer Joe McNamee; Gary O’Hanlon, 2012 Celtic Cook Off Winner; and Aoife Cox, editor of the Daily Spud.
Members of the audience will also get to take part in the tasting, and will be chosen by ballot box and announced on the night.
Aside from watching the competition unfold, members of the audience will receive a welcome glass of sparkling wine and canapés throughout the night made to the recipes of each contestant, as well as have the opportunity at different times in the night to browse, taste and buy from an indoor market featuring the best of West Cork artisan producers and food providers.
At the end of the night, after the judges have deliberated, the winner will be announced.
Our very own West Cork Hotel General Manager, Neil Grant had this to say about the forthcoming competition:
“We are really excited to have an international flavour to the judging panel not to mention a couple of real big hitters from the world of food writing in Ireland. Representatives from West Cork were invited by Chef Roy Brett to promote the Celtic Cook Off and West Cork Food at the prestigious Loch Fyne Food Festival in Scotland earlier this year where they encountered over 4,000 food enthusiasts during the course of two days. On the back of this our working group invited Loch Fyne Oysters to attend the 2013 Celtic Cook Off and so they are bringing a delegation with them! Not only that but we have a “Taste of Arran” and “Braehead Foods” coming from Scotland adding a new dynamic to the export potential that this event has nurtured.”
With focus on the additional theme this year being based around the encouragement of new and trainee chefs into the hospitality business. Neil went on to comment that
“All of our Celtic Cook Off chefs have a fantastic ethos of working with local, seasonal produce and all are passionate about great food. We want more Chefs to enter the business with that thought process to help keep up the standards and increase the pool of available, passionate, skilled cooks. We are therefore involving trainee and commis chefs in a Master Class during the day of the Celtic Cook Off event. A large group of them will work with previous Celtic Cook Off competitors Martin Shanahan, Jack Stein, Gary O’Hanlon and Kevin Williams. They will use West Cork artisan produce to provide lunch for the producers themselves as well as visiting journalists and invited guests from the Celtic Regions represented in the competition. Education has always been an element of the Celtic Cook Off activity and this year we really want to bring it to the fore. We will be opening the event with the winners of last year’s A Taste of West Cork Schools Competition cooking one of the professional’s signature dishes which will be really exciting to see!”
The Celtic Cook Off has been a resounding success, and as a direct result of previous years Celtic Cook Off activity there has been growth of a virtual Celtic Food Network where we all bond, share ideas, promote good food in the Celtic Regions and keep in touch! There have been some amazing examples of this already as a result of this event where past competitors have partaken in joint ventures at food festivals all over the Celtic Territories. For example, the group from Loch Fyne Oysters attending this year’s Celtic Cook Off will be participating, along with visitors from A Taste of Arran co-operative, in a seminar workshop for West Cork producers. A Taste of Arran brings together 10 premier food and drink producers from the Scottish Isle of Arran, and acts as the single point for sales, marketing and distribution.
Tickets for the Celtic Cook Off are €15 if booked in advance or €20 on the night. To get yours now and make sure you are part of the action and at one of events of the year and the must do things to do in West Cork contact reception on: 00 353 (0)28-21277 or email: info@westcorkhotel.com
- Wales - Gareth Johns, Wynnstay Hotel
- Scotland - Joe Queen, Executive Chef of BHF. Member of Masterchefs of GB and ex president of The Federation of Chefs Scotland;
- Isle of Man - Richard Birch, Tanroagan Restaurant
- Cornwall - Stewart Eddy, Victoria Inn;
- Ireland - Frankie Mallon, An Port Mor
Winning Dish from 2012 by Gary O'Hanlon
The format for the Celtic Cook Off 2013 remains similar to the previous years; there are some exciting new twists to freshen up the format. With the event having a theme of “Bringing New Chefs into the Kitchen” and which will see both the judging panel and MC team be more high powered and international than years gone by.
Conditions of this competition are simple enough – each of our participating chefs selects the ingredients for their own dish from the wide range of produce that we enjoy regularly in West Cork, and in addition can bring with them one wild card ingredient from their own Celtic region.
On the night – two sets of three chefs will cook live in front of an audience of over 200 food enthusiasts with helpful commentary and interviews provided by compere for the night, John McKenna of the McKenna’s Guides. Each chef will prepare three plates of their chosen dish for the six judges, who will work together in pairs and be asked to taste and comment on the dishes.
Last years winner Gary O'Hanlon with Scottish competitor Tony Singh
The judges this year have been specially select from a variety of backgrounds to give a wider cross section of views and opinions and will include:Veronica Steele of Milleens Cheese; Virginia Sumsion, Loch Fyne Oysters; food writer Joe McNamee; Gary O’Hanlon, 2012 Celtic Cook Off Winner; and Aoife Cox, editor of the Daily Spud.
Members of the audience will also get to take part in the tasting, and will be chosen by ballot box and announced on the night.
Aside from watching the competition unfold, members of the audience will receive a welcome glass of sparkling wine and canapés throughout the night made to the recipes of each contestant, as well as have the opportunity at different times in the night to browse, taste and buy from an indoor market featuring the best of West Cork artisan producers and food providers.
At the end of the night, after the judges have deliberated, the winner will be announced.
Our very own West Cork Hotel General Manager, Neil Grant had this to say about the forthcoming competition:
“We are really excited to have an international flavour to the judging panel not to mention a couple of real big hitters from the world of food writing in Ireland. Representatives from West Cork were invited by Chef Roy Brett to promote the Celtic Cook Off and West Cork Food at the prestigious Loch Fyne Food Festival in Scotland earlier this year where they encountered over 4,000 food enthusiasts during the course of two days. On the back of this our working group invited Loch Fyne Oysters to attend the 2013 Celtic Cook Off and so they are bringing a delegation with them! Not only that but we have a “Taste of Arran” and “Braehead Foods” coming from Scotland adding a new dynamic to the export potential that this event has nurtured.”
With focus on the additional theme this year being based around the encouragement of new and trainee chefs into the hospitality business. Neil went on to comment that
“All of our Celtic Cook Off chefs have a fantastic ethos of working with local, seasonal produce and all are passionate about great food. We want more Chefs to enter the business with that thought process to help keep up the standards and increase the pool of available, passionate, skilled cooks. We are therefore involving trainee and commis chefs in a Master Class during the day of the Celtic Cook Off event. A large group of them will work with previous Celtic Cook Off competitors Martin Shanahan, Jack Stein, Gary O’Hanlon and Kevin Williams. They will use West Cork artisan produce to provide lunch for the producers themselves as well as visiting journalists and invited guests from the Celtic Regions represented in the competition. Education has always been an element of the Celtic Cook Off activity and this year we really want to bring it to the fore. We will be opening the event with the winners of last year’s A Taste of West Cork Schools Competition cooking one of the professional’s signature dishes which will be really exciting to see!”
The Celtic Cook Off has been a resounding success, and as a direct result of previous years Celtic Cook Off activity there has been growth of a virtual Celtic Food Network where we all bond, share ideas, promote good food in the Celtic Regions and keep in touch! There have been some amazing examples of this already as a result of this event where past competitors have partaken in joint ventures at food festivals all over the Celtic Territories. For example, the group from Loch Fyne Oysters attending this year’s Celtic Cook Off will be participating, along with visitors from A Taste of Arran co-operative, in a seminar workshop for West Cork producers. A Taste of Arran brings together 10 premier food and drink producers from the Scottish Isle of Arran, and acts as the single point for sales, marketing and distribution.
Tickets for the Celtic Cook Off are €15 if booked in advance or €20 on the night. To get yours now and make sure you are part of the action and at one of events of the year and the must do things to do in West Cork contact reception on: 00 353 (0)28-21277 or email: info@westcorkhotel.com