By Jon Hatchmann, Food Editor @TLE_food
Mark Moriarty of The Culinary Counter Crowned UK & Ireland S. Pellegrino Young Chef Winner & Joins 20 Global Finalists.
With over 3000 young chefs from across 191 countries having applied for this year’s competition, the 2015 S. Pellegrino Young Chef Competition is drawing to a close. And as the final, which is set to take place at Expo Milan in June, draws even closer, the winner of the UK & Ireland heat has been confirmed as Mark Moriarty from The Culinary Counter in Ireland.
Having been announced as one of the 20 global finalists, Mark Moriarty was crowned as the competition’s UK & Ireland winner at an exclusive event at Harrods’ prestigious flagship restaurant The Georgian, following a live cook off again nine other young chefs, before a judging panel of leading chefs. Between them, the four chefs, Clare Smyth MBE, Atul Kochhar, Dan Doherty and Oliver Dunne, have five Michelin Stars between them and made a unanimous decision that Mark Moriarty’s signature dish of Celeriac Baked in Barley and Fermented Hay stood out above the other nine dishes of the evening.
The final leg of the global showdown will take place on June 27th at Expo Milan, a global fair that is expected to draw in 20 million visitors, and will be judged by a panel that includes the likes of Joan Roca, Massimo Bottura, Gaston Acurio, Yoshihiro Narisawa, and more. And representing the UK & Ireland, Mark Moriarty will be mentored by Clare Smyth MBE, Chef Patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, who spoke of the recent UK & Ireland final: “The calibre of dishes we tasted tonight was really impressive but Mark’s dish stood out with its flavour, unforgettable theatre and true message behind his dish.”
Watch this space for further news on the competition as this year’s event reaches its close.