FEATURES: Famed television pastry chef Paul Kelly from The Great Irish Bake Off is returning to Donegal where he began his career to host a special bake off event for secondary school pupils.
Kelly, who has worked in many five star hotels around Ireland and the rest of the world, and is currently Executive Pastry Chef at The Merrion Hotel in Dublin, started his career as a commi chef in The Sandhouse Hotel in Rossnowlagh.
To commemorate the centenary of 1916, the Great Donegal Junior Bake will feature aspiring chefs from secondary schools all over the county who will have one and a half hours to make a show stopping edible cake that celebrates 1916.
The event, which is in aid of Irish Autism Action and St Riaghans National School Parents Association, will be held in The Highlands Hotel, Glenties on 20th May 2016.
Doors open at 7. In addition to the bake off, there will be cooking demonstrations from Kelly and local chefs as well as a special 1916-themed play performed by the pupils of St Riaghans.
During his visit, Kelly will also spend some time at St Riaghans school where he will meet the children and raise the Health Promoting School flag.
Speaking about the Junior Bake Off, Kelly says: I love going back to Donegal and my Passion is Pastry so hosting this competition offers me the opportunity to combine both while at the same time helping to fundraise for a very worthy cause.
“I am really looking forward to getting my ruler out, meeting the contestants and having a fun evening with everyone involved.”
Paula Roarty, chairperson of the St Riaghans Parents Association, says: “We are very grateful to Paul for his generosity in helping to make this event a reality.
“It will be an unforgettable evening for those taking part in the competition and for everyone in the audience.
“Hopefully, the competition will be the inspiration for some of the aspiring chefs on the night to go on and forge successful careers in the future.”
About Irish Autism Action:
Formed in 2001, Irish Autism Action is dedicated to bringing positive change into the lives of those affected by autism and provides a wide range of services including awareness raising, early detection diagnosis, education support, advocacy, counselling, helpline, home based support, transition planning, social housing, research information and advice for families upon receiving diagnosis.
An umbrella organisation with 33 member groups and 3,500 individual members in practically every county in Ireland, Irish Autism Action set up Ireland’s first National Diagnostic and Assessment Centre, known as Solas, based in Dublin.
It also launched a dedicated National Autism Helpline, operated by parents, providing impartial and confidential information, advice and support for people with an autistic spectrum disorder, their families and professionals.
About St Riaghans National School Parents Association:
Since its formation in 2005, St Riaghan’s National School Parents Association has been very involved in fundraising and providing financial support for school activities for the children.
We have held a number of bric-a-brac and book sales, cake sales and a skip-a-thon to raise funds.
In addition to fundraising, the association hosts and finances an Easter Egg hunt every year and also organises a very popular annual summer fun night social event for the children and parents.
St Riaghans National School is a two teacher school located in Drimnacrosh, outside Glenties which has just gained its flag as a Health Promoting School with a strong focus on healthy eating and physical activity.
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