‘Masterchef’ Diana serves up passion on a plate

Ireland’s MasterChef Diana Dodog knows how to put passion on a plate. Diana, 35, originally from Hungary but now living in Courtmacsherry, Co Cork, loves food and to see people enjoying what she serves up.

Just before winning the grand prize at the end of the hit RTÉ series Diana realised her dream of having a gourmet street kitchen in Cork.

“It is a great feeling to see people leave happy after having a meal that I have cooked and then coming back for more. I just love feeding people.”

Diana and her husband, Michael O’Donovan, launched Food Depot during the first week in March and have been selling fresh grilled meats, fish and sides to delighted customers in Courtmacsherry and Clonakilty.

The couple, who get all their food from local suppliers, also sell homemade desserts, coffee and freshly pressed juice from under the hatch of their fully fitted outside kitchen.

“The grill faces customers who love to watch their food being cooked and it is ready in less than five minutes. It’s a growing success.”

Both Diana and Michael have degrees in hotel management and cateringsupervision. They met in 2006 when they both worked at the Kingsley Hotel in Cork.

Diana, who spent four years living in Canada, moved to Ireland in 2005.

Diana and Michael, who travelled to Central America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, saw the growing popularity of food trucks and took the business idea home to Ireland.

“We shared the same passion for food and wine and to go into business together was always our dream,” said Diana.

The couple returned to Ireland from New Zealand at the end of 2012. They got married in New York last January and started working on fitting out their gourmet street kitchen.

If that was not enough, Michael said Diana should enter MasterChef. “Please enter,” Michael pleaded. “I want everyone else to realise what a great cook you are because you obviously don’t believe me, your family or your friends.”

Diana thought this year’s MasterChef competition was very tight with little between the three women finalists. “I have great respect for all the contestants. They were all so passionate and so good at what they were doing.”

Diana said her lowest moment was taking a live lobster from a tank and having to cook it — it was a risk on live television that could see her going home afterwards, but it turned out not to be the disaster she had expected.

She actually looked forward to being criticised by the two judges — restaurateur and maitre d’ Nick Munier and Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Dylan McGrath — because she knew she could learn from it and become a better cook as a result of such constructive feedback.

“I did get upset during the show but it was because I was unhappy with my work and not because of what was said to me. I cried during every episode because I am emotional about food.”

As for the gourmet kitchen, Diana said most of the customers had no idea how well she was doing in MasterChef — they were just attracted to the food.

“I did not get many customers coming up to me and saying they recognised me from MasterChef and I did not say anything about it,” she said.

However, she has no doubt that she will do well after winning the competition. “I feel more confident about my business; I also know I have to learn a hell of a lot more but I can do it through my job because, finally, I am doing what I love doing.”