Young chef from Cork restaurant wins prestigious Euro-Toques competition
Shauna Murphy won the prestigious accolade at a gala ceremony.
Described as Ireland’s premier cooking competition for young professional chefs, six finalists battled it out for the prestigious Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year title over the past few weeks.
Shauna Murphy was announced as the winner of this year’s competition. A chef mentored by chef Angelo Vagiotis at Cork's Castlemartyr Resort, Murphy aced the final skills test in which finalists had to come up with two original dishes: A main course featuring Irish brown crab and lobster as well as a start or dessert using Velvet Cloud yogurt.
Culinary skills at this level had to be flawless as the finalists demonstrated their technique, palate and creativity by presenting carefully designed dishes for the judges to taste.
The themes of Irish traditions and heritage were finally balanced with the diversity of today’s modern kitchen.
Open to professional young chefs under the age of 28, the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year has been established as the premier competition within the industry.
It also has a proven track record in discovering exceptional young talent, giving all the young chefs who have taken part this contest a unique experience, providing recognition throughout Ireland and beyond, and acting as a prestigious stepping-stone in their culinary career.
Previous winners include Neven McGuire, Anna Haugh and Gráinne Mullins of Grá Chocolate.
The candidates for the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023 competition cooked in front of five judges, including chefs Paolo Casagrande of three-Michelin star Lasarte in Barcelona, Anna Haugh of Myrtle in London, Ahmet Dede of two-Michelin star dede in Baltimore, Co Cork, Gareth Mullins of Anantara The Marker Dublin, and Euro-Toques Commissioner General Kwanghi Chan. The kitchen was run by judges Domini Kemp (Valence Hospitality), Conor Halpenny (The Square), and Aishling Moore (Goldie).
The young chefs had two and a half hours of focused cooking time to create their two dishes reflecting the Euro-Toques philosophy of local, artisanal, and seasonal ingredients.
They were marked under three separate categories: execution and work practice, taste and flavour, and presentation.
Originally from Limerick, Shauna Murphy of Terre restaurant in Cork, mentored by chef Angelo Vagiotis won the overall Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023 competition with a main course of BBQ lobster with vanilla brown butter bisque reduction and citrus carrot purée, served with a side of barley with lemongrass foam and crispy carrot and a dessert of Date pudding with Velvet Cloud sheep yogurt ice cream, burnt apple, hazelnuts and whiskey caramel, impressing the judges with flair, imagination, and skill in execution.
Since the beginning of the competition in April, the finalists had an incredible journey which included a trip to West Cork and London.
During their time in West Cork, they visited various locations and participated in different activities. They spent a day with renowned fish smoker Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery to learn about the ancient tradition of preserving food.
They also visited Liss Ard Estate and The Irish Sky Garden by James Turrell. A highlight of their trip was dinner at Baltimore’s 2-Michelin star restaurant, dede, where Chef Ahmet Dede showcased his unique take on fine dining, blending local produce with his Turkish heritage.
The next day, they visited Lough Hynes and some of West Cork’s finest producers, Madeline McKeever of Brown Envelope Seeds, and Bradley Putze of Lisheen Greens, for an insight into chemical-free seeds and vegetable production.
They also visited Fingal Ferguson’s family farm, Gubbeen, where they learned about cheese, charcuterie, and knife making.
Guest chef Paolo Casagrande of three-Michelin star Lasarte in Barcelona announced this year’s Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year, calling Shauna Murphy to the stage to receive the trophy, designed by chef Kevin Thornton.
Head of the Young Chef Committee, Gareth Mullins, Executive chef at Anantara The Marker Hotel Dublin commented: “I’d like to thank all the participating chefs, the guest chefs, restaurants and mentors, producers and suppliers, and our presenting partner La Rousse Foods. The objective of the community is to foster young talent while preserving Irish culinary heritage.
"The Young Chef competition is the highest-calibre contest for professional young chefs in Ireland and seeing another successful year come full circle with a worthy winner is a great achievement for the organisation”.
Adam Walsh (1826 Adare / Wade Murphy)
Conor Morrissey (Glovers Alley / Andy McFadden)
Leticia Miranda (Mae Restaurant / Gráinne O’Keefe)
Marcell Palfalusi (John Coffey / Thyme)
Matthias Beuque (Kieran Glennon / Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud)
Shauna Murphy (Terre Manor / Angelo Vagiortis)
