The Contenders The Winner
Judges Paul Flynn, The Tannery; Lorcan Cribbin, Il Segreto; and Ross Lewis, Chapter One, dig in.
Kamil makes his retreat as the chefs launch into the dish. ‘Jesus Christ, that’s beautiful!’ exclaims Paul. ‘Jesus, I tell you lads, this is going to be a hard job deciding on a winner,’ agrees Ross. ‘No one told me it was going to be this hard,’ complains Paul, adding hastily ‘I mean it’s a pleasurable job, but it’s a very difficult one.’ Neil McFadden, the chair of the jury, is quietly impressed. ‘Yep, I’m a fan of that,’ he says, returning for seconds. ‘It’s great that he cooked it on the bone,’ notes Lorcan Cribbin. ‘He has very good knife skills. The cooking of his fish is excellent. The presentation is very good,’ he continues. ‘I like the fact that it is under-seasoned as when you have four elements on the plate it can be overpowering,’ Ross chimes in. ‘I’ve done a lot of these competitions and it is rare you would get this standard from the first three competitors,’ the Chapter One proprietor reflects. ‘Christ, we’re going to have to have a dance off,’ says Paul. The five judges all go quiet as they fill out their scoring sheets. All you can hear is the odd mutterings of ‘Jesus!’ under their breaths.
D
avid Magaeen, the 24 year old head chef of Restaurant Victoria in Belfast, is furiously chopping as Aisling Gallagher, chef de partie at Ballynahinch Castle and Micheál Harley of Rathmullan House arrive for the afternoon session. We’re now at the half-way mark. Can they raise the bar higher? As they settle into their stations, Ballynahinch’s Xin Sun begins pacing the corridor in ever decreasing circles outside while Raymond McArdle tries to sneak in under the radar. ‘RAYMOND!’ barks Ruth Hegarty, before adding in a softer tone: ‘I’m very sorry but you have to go – if I don’t move you, the others will be giving out.’
Catching me chuckle Ruth confides, ‘I’m like a school teacher.’ She reminds the judges that they need to head into the kitchen to survey the second set of young chefs in action. It’s not just down to the way the candidates handle a knife or season their ingredients, reveals Lorcan Cribbin. ‘We want young people who are interested in food, who like food and who have a future in food. We are looking for a good ambassador.’ Not for the first time today, one of the candidates runs over their allotted 70 minute time-frame. Neil allows two minutes grace for plating, but any more time than that and David Magaeen will be deducted marks. He presents his steamed Achill Island turbot, prawn and cabbage cannelloni, pork belly crisps leek and potato sauce to the judges. ‘That’s a top drawer dish,’ says Ross. ‘If only he wasn’t over on time… That for me is the most sophisticated dish so far, apart from the cabbage.’ ‘The steaming of the fish is excellent,’ agrees Neil. ‘There is great depth of flavour in the dish,’ adds Lorcan. ‘These are some fairly complex dishes to put up in 70 minutes,’ notes Ross. Hot on David’s heels, Aisling prepares to plate up. She has already impressed judges with her calm nature but she is running over time. The last flourish goes on to her pretty dish of turbot poached in a sauce au beurre, with crispy turbot skin, a seaweed and prawn croquette, carrot and pea puree, Sichuan pepper foam, shredded cabbage and a prawn dressing. ‘It’s a very modern presentation,’ says Ross Lewis. ‘The presentation is excellent and the flavour is exceptional,’ agrees Neil. As the judges mull over Aisling’s dish, the day’s last contestant, Micheál Harley from Rathmullan House, begins plating his steamed Achill Island turbot over bladderwrack, Dublin bay prawn mousse, 8
Kamil Dubanik (23), originally from Poland, started working in Knockranny House Hotel in Westport, Co Mayo in 2007 as a kitchen porter and worked his was up to his current position of demi-chef de partie. Kamil was mentored by Knockranny House Hotel head chef Seamus Commons, who also mentored last year’s winner, Mary Ryan and 2009 finalist, Patrick Powell. All three are still working in the Knockranny kitchens. Kamil has won a stage at The Ivy in London under executive chef Gary Lee, plus a week’s stage at Chapter One under the tutelage of Ross Lewis. All six finalists have also won a one-day introduction to the seafood industry, courtesy of BIM and a fourday food tourism road trip with Fáilte Ireland.
The Competition
Kamil’s fellow competitors were: Aisling Gallagher (24), chef de partie at Ballynahinch Castle, Co Galway. Aisling was mentored in the competition by Ballynahinch Castle head chef Xin Sun (twice a finalist in the competition). Kyle Greer (24), senior chef de partie at No 27 Talbot Street, Belfast. He was mentored by No. 27 head chef, Michael Glinkofski. Micheál Harley (22), who has responsibility for the pastry section at Rathmullan House, Co Donegal. Micheál was mentored by Rathmullan head chef Kelan McMichael. David Magaeen (24), head chef at Restaurant Victoria, Belfast under the guidance of chef/patron Raymond McArdle who also mentored him in the competition. Margaret Roche (23), the runner up in the 2010 Young Chef of the Year competition, is chef de partie in the pasty section at The Merrion Hotel. She was mentored by Merrion executive chef, Ed Cooney.
HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW ❖ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 27