Letterkenny Institute of Technology student Kevin Buchanan impressed in a kitchen battle with Ireland’s top student chefs this week.
Kevin Buchanan, representing LYIT, stirred up a storm in the final of this year’s KNORR Student Chef of the Year 2019, at Waterford Institute of Technology.
‘Street on a Plate,’ celebrates the evolving palette of the Irish population and its influence on the Irish food market.
Students are marked for their creativity and interpretation of the theme as well as the presentation of each dish, food waste management and allergen awareness.
Kevin created two dishes, the first being a plate of ‘Smoked Bacon and Cabbage Knish.’ His second dish comprised ‘Pulled Pork inspired Banh-Mi.’
Kevin’s dishes were highly influenced by the city he was born in, New York. Being exposed to so many different food cultures from a young age expanded his palette and informs his cooking style.
Speaking about the competition Kevin says, “It’s great to get out of the classroom and cook for professional chefs and get their feedback. I’ve really enjoyed the day, meeting other chefs and sharing our passion for the food industry.”
Lee McDonagh, Technological University Dublin – Tallaght Campus, took the overall prize while Daniel Hartigan of Waterford Institute of technology placed second and Bangaly Doumbouya from Limerick Institute of Technology came third.
Speaking about the competition, Audrey Crone, Executive Chef Ireland at Unilever Food Solutions said, “This year marks my first KNORR Student Chef of the Year competition. The talent demonstrated by each student chef is a real testament to the training centres and institutes of Ireland and made quite an impression on the judging panel. Each competitor displayed great chefmanship and creativity in the preparation and cooking of each of their plates.
“The hospitality and food industry in Ireland is undergoing a time of upheaval with chef shortages. Today’s competition assured me that with the forthcoming training chefs, the industry is in good hands. It’s also an exciting time for graduating chefs to forage their professional careers,” she added.
This year’s competition was judged by a panel comprising Unilever’s Audrey Crone and special guest judge Bobby Kerr, entrepreneur, businessman and broadcaster and Lorain Walsh, Chef Lecturer, Waterford Institute of Technology.
As well as the KNORR Student Chef of the Year title, the winner has a unique London food tour, sampling what the UK capital city has to offer in terms of produce, street food and Michelin experiences.
Other KNORR Student Chef of the Year 2019 finalists include:
- Kieran Cleverley, Southern Regional College
- Nadia Rainey, South Eastern Regional College
- Gerard Fallon, Athlone Institute of Technology
- Keith Craig, North West Regional College
