28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Hunt has begun to find next top chef in Ireland
Now it has been endorsed by one of the world's top chefs, Heston Blumenthal, who will train the winner.
The contest was launched in 2023 by John Trainor, the operational director of the Balmoral Hotel and Stix & Stones Restaurants.
Two years on, applications are now open for aspiring culinary experts that fancy their chances at becoming Ireland's Next Top Chef of 2025.
Speaking at the launch, John said that the idea for the not-for-profit initiative came about due to 'desperation'.
'There was nobody coming through in the kitchens. We asked government, we asked council [for support], so it was me just putting my money where my mouth is and deciding, if we want to get some attention to this industry, let's do a competition.
'It started off with great ambition and it's grown in the last two years.'
The winner of Ireland's Next Top Chef 2025 will receive an all-expenses paid trip to London, to receive a week's worth of mentorship in celebrity chef Blumenthal's two-Michelin star restaurant, Dinner.
'This opportunity has been life-changing for previous winners,' added John.
'Heston believes in what we're doing and is excited to continue supporting our young talent.'
Both of the competition's previous winners have been Belfast-based cooks.
Last year, the top prize went to Michelle Dela Cruz from the city centre's 2 Taps Winebar, who wowed judges with her Filipino-inspired three-course menu during the live cookery showdown at the Balmoral Hotel.
In 2023, Gareth Crawford of Mexican restaurant Cú on the Lisburn Road, became the first ever winner of the accolade.
The contest is open to chefs right across the island of Ireland, and in 2024 the other finalists hailed from venues in Strangford and Dublin.
John hopes that the competition can inspire younger generations to choose career paths in the hospitality world.
'The whole issue of Brexit didn't help,' he added.
'We used to rely on a lot of Polish chefs, and that's not possible anymore, so we're struggling on that front, trying to get people who are skilled coming into the country to help.
'We have to go out ourselves, and that's what this competition is about.'
This year's judging panel includes award-winning chef and restaurateur Niall McKenna from James Street South and Waterman; Danny Millar, the owner and head chef of Stock Kitchen & Bar in Belfast, and Belfast Telegraph food critic, Joris Minne.
Economy Minister Caomhe Archibald attended last night's launch and said it has become a key fixture in Northern Ireland's local hospitality calendar.
'I think it's a really good showcase of what we have to offer,' she said.
'Hospitality is really important to our local economy, it supports over 70,000 jobs right across the north. It is one of those sectors that genuinely is reasonably balanced, and as a department, we are working to support the sector in terms of attracting more people in.
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'Whenever I talk to businesses, organisations, business representatives, they tell me about the challenges they face getting skilled workers and that's true in our hospitality and tourism sector as well.
'It's one of the reasons the department has supported initiatives to try and attract more people into the sectors. Events like this that showcase the talent that we have, will obviously attract people to look at this as a potential career for themselves.'
