Wicklow chef crowned winner at National Catering Awards
Críoch Catering was founded by Arklow chef Tadgh Byrne in 2019 and was nominated for five awards at the inaugural Gold Medal Catering Awards, held on June 26 at Clontarf Castle.
The team took the gold medal for menu provenance for their use of local produce and their work with Wicklow Naturally.
Críoch was also shortlisted for awards for best public sector catering (at Wicklow County Council), sustainability, small events catering, and rising star.
The Gold Medal Catering Awards was created to shine a spotlight on the standards being set across the Irish catering landscape, from large-scale contract providers and healthcare caterers to niche event specialists and rising individual stars. The awards programme received over 150 entries in its first year, a testament to the vibrant and competitive spirit within the industry.
After winning the award, Tadgh said: 'Putting Wicklow on the plate was one of Críoch's founding goals, so I'm thrilled that this has been acknowledged on a national scale. I hope that other contract catering companies will start to give Irish ingredients more attention in the coming years.'
Wicklow Naturally extended its congratulations to Tadgh and his team at Críoch and acknowledged his consistent support of Wicklow food and drink producers.
Chairperson Paul Smith said that Tadgh has been 'an active and valuable member of the network since its inception and has always endeavoured to champion local and sustainable produce from the Garden County'.
Críoch also caters at the Wicklow County Council head office and for An Tairseach Ecology Centre.
Meanwhile, the Q Cafe Company, which operates at Wicklow Hospice, won four awards on the night – Outstanding Customer Service of the Year, Catering Company of the Year, Public Sector Food of the Year and the Special Recognition Award.
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