Ireland’s finest young chefs and young waiters will travel to Limerick in October to compete in the Young Chef Young Waiter Ireland 2022 competition (YCYW) before a star-studded judging panel whose members have won eight Michelin Stars between them and lead some of Ireland’s most prestigious hospitality and culinary brands.
The competition will be the inaugural one in Ireland, though the YCYW awards were first established in 1979 and re-launched internationally in 2019. ‘Ireland’s Young Chef of the Year’ and ‘Ireland’s Young Waiter of the Year’ will compete in the World Final against the winners of national competitions in Canada, England, the Cayman Islands, the USA, Singapore, Macao and Wales.
The Irish competition will celebrate the outstanding standards of Ireland’s emerging culinary and hospitality talent and will showcase the global reputation of Irish ingredients and products. Underlining the emphasis on quality and excellence in Irish food culture, the Irish judging panel will be made up of leaders in the field, who are also advocates and supporters of young talent.
The judges of the Young Chef awards will be led by Richard Corrigan, and will include Michelin-starred chefs Ross Lewis; Derry Clarke; Jordan Bailey; JP McMahon and Michael Tweedie amongst others.
Some of the judges of the Young Waiter awards include General Manager of The Merrion Hotel, Peter MacCann; Majken Bech-Bailey front of house manager at Michelin starred Aimsir and Ross Golden Bannon, member of Food Writers Guild.
SHOWCASING TALENT
Professor Vincent Cunnane, President of the Technological University of the Shannon, which has been selected to host the inaugural competition in Ireland said: “It is entirely fitting that as a new university dedicated to nurturing and supporting young people in their chosen spheres, TUS was selected to host the inaugural Young Chef Young Waiter Awards in Ireland. We want to showcase what our young people are capable of on the national and international stage, and we want to celebrate the standing and importance of food culture for Ireland.
“This is a very significant competition, and we look forward to working with the organisers to see it grow further here in Ireland and to become a staple in the Irish calendar. I wish all the entrants well in the national and world competitions.”
Entry to the competition is free and is open to those working in the industry, of 26 years and under. The closing date for entries is September 9th and the Irish competition will take place on the TUS Moylish campus (Limerick) on October 4th.
