Online food contest draws cream of the crop for cookery course prize

ASPIRING chefs are queuing up learn the food business with award-winning food producers Colum O’Sullivan (Sully) and Cullen Allen (Cully) as part of the online food contest Chef Factor.

More than 100,000 people have already logged onto Chef Factor, judged by Darina Allen, Rachel Allen and Cully & Sully. The contest is open to all of Ireland and has to date received over 200 entries from 28 counties, including entries from every county in the Republic.

Members of the public are invited to enter Chef Factor to be in with a chance to win a place on January’s coveted 12-week Ballymaloe cookery course including accommodation, together worth over €12,000. The top prize can be redeemed in either 2012 or 2013 and will include two weeks with Cully & Sully.

Sully said: “To think that the audience for Chef Factor has been greater than the number of people who attended some of the largest music festivals this summer is mind blowing. You could fill the Aviva stadium more than twice. The support for Chef Factor this year has been astounding.”

Entry remains open until November 14. Applicants don’t need to be a fantastic cook to enter as the prize is professional training in one of the world’s leading cookery schools.

To enter Chef Factor, participants must upload a simple photo of their dish with the words “Cully & Sully” somewhere in the image and submit this to cheffactor.ie along with a brief explanation of the dish and the reason why they deserve to win.