Kilcolgan native chosen as one of BIM’s 2022 Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador

Rebecca Sweeney from Kilcogan, Co. Galway has been appointed as a single of only 5 younger cooks nationwide to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM’s ) Taste the Atlantic Younger Chef Ambassador Programme for 2022.

Rebecca is 23 and from Kilcolgan, Co. Galway. Rebecca has a degree in Culinary Arts Management from ATU Galway, and has put in time doing the job in Adare Manor, Co. Limerick.

She not too long ago took up the posture of head chef at Hooked Cafe in Sligo, where she has worked for the previous 2 a long time. She was nominated for the programme by Hooked owner Anthony Gray.

Rebecca has seen the meals and tourism scene develop in Sligo in modern situations and is driven to grow its food stuff tourism probable.

Above the past two years she has made associations with regional seafood suppliers and would adore to expand that checklist and achieve new thoughts, explore new solutions, and deliver anything diverse to the meals scene.

The programme, now in its second year, was created by BIM, and is a collaboration with Chef Community and Fáilte Eire as a way to give rising youthful cooks in-depth encounter of the Irish aquaculture, seafood, and coastal tourism sectors.

Through the immersive four-month programme, each of the cooks will embark on a seafood journey along the Taste the Atlantic path, familiarising themselves with the salmon, oyster and mussel producers functioning alongside the Western seaboard.

Last 7 days the cooks frequented seafood producers in the West of Ireland, together with a check out to the Burren Smoke Residence, Co Clare the place owner and producer, Birgitta Curtin gave a demonstration at her Irish salmon smokery.

This was followed by a pay a visit to to Flaggy Shore Oysters in Co. Clare the place the chefs learnt about oyster production, and a take a look at to Moran’s Oyster Cottage in Kilcolgan, Co Galway to additional their knowledge of the worth of oyster output in the space.

Added industry journeys to Connemara and West Cork are bundled as component of the programme and the cooks will commit two times building their culinary expertise with Michelin star chef JP McMahon at his Aniar Restaurant in Co Galway.

Grasp fishmonger Hal Dawson will also give instruction to the chefs in fish high-quality and preparation abilities at the BIM Seafood Innovation Hub in Clonakilty, Co Cork where by they will also go to a culinary business workshop.

1 of the one of a kind features of the BIM Taste the Atlantic Ambassador programme is the pairing of chefs with seafood producers serving to them to acquire a further being familiar with of the provenance of Irish seafood.

The programme will culminate with an occasion at the Galway Global Oyster and Seafood Competition in September.

The other 2022 younger chefs are:

Roann Byrne, Commis Chef, Bryanstown Social, Drogheda (Louth )

Aged 21 and initially from Drogheda, Roann confirmed an early capability in baking and enterprise by setting up a cake small business when still in secondary university.

Acquiring concluded Baking and Pastry Arts in Engineering College Dublin, she found out a enjoy for the kitchen and progressed into a BA in Culinary Arts, which she accomplished this yr. Roann was nominated for the programme by Mikey Sweeney, previous Head Chef in Bryanston Social where she has worked for the past 2 several years. Roann is looking ahead to viewing seafood producers during the programme as she is passionate about the function chefs can engage in in endorsing neighborhood make on menus.

Robin Martin, Chef de Partie, Mulcahy’s Restaurant (Kerry )

Hailing from Kenmare. Co. Kerry, Robin is 24 several years previous and has spent several yrs doing the job in the hospitality industry each back again and front of dwelling.

Finding that his enthusiasm was for the kitchen, Robin returned to schooling to practice as a chef and this year completed year two of a Greater Certification in Culinary Studies in MTU Cork. He was nominated for the Taste the Atlantic young chef programme by his lecturer Breda Buckley.

He is Chef de Partie in Mulcahy’s in Kenmare where he has labored for the final 3 many years. Robin is passionate about sustainable cooking, and wild and foraged food. He is keen to master extra about aquaculture and functioning additional carefully with producers.

Stephen Cronin, Chef de Partie, The Bayview Hotel, Ballycotton (Cork )

Stephen, aged 21, is at first from Ballycotton and has accomplished 2 many years of a Batchelor of Organization in Culinary Arts MTU Cork. He was nominated by Kieran Scully, who has been his lecturer at college and his also his Head Chef at the Bayview Lodge where Stephen has been performing more than the past two 12 months. Possessing developed up in the fishing village of Ballycotton, Stephen is keen to master extra about aquaculture and the seafood sector along the Wild Atlantic Way and to operate closely with producers to market the very best of Irish deliver on menus.

Torin Smaller, Chef de Partie, Lough Erne Resort (Fermanagh )

Aged 24, Torin is initially from the tiny village of Annacloy in County Down. He examined at SERC in Downpatrick and is mastering his craft at Lough Erne Resort in Co. Fermanagh, where he has labored for a person yr to date. Torin was nominated by Lough Erne Resort Culinary Director Noel Mc Neel.

Torin has the option to use loads of regional products and solutions from great suppliers in his perform and is hunting forward to looking at what the Style the