Shauna Murphy was named the winner of the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023 competition at a gala dinner held on Sunday evening at the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin.
Murphy works at Terre Restaurant in Castlemartyr Resort and is mentored by chef Angelo Vagiotis.
Emerging Culinary Talent
The Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition is Ireland’s premier culinary competition, celebrating Ireland’s best emerging culinary talent.
Together with fine-food specialists and official partners La Rousse Foods, Euro-Toques Ireland has designed educational activities that highlight the importance of community and support in the Irish food industry.
Five Judges
The candidates for the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023 competition cooked in front of five chef judges: 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 Domini Kemp (Valence Hospitality), Conor Halpenny (the Square) and Aishling Moore (Goldie).
Flavour And Presentation
The young chefs had two and a half hours of focused cooking time to create their two dishes, incorporating Irish brown crab, lobster and Velvet Cloud yoghurt – reflecting the Euro-Toques philosophy of local, artisanal and seasonal ingredients.
The young chefs were marked under three separate categories: execution and work practice, taste and flavour, and presentation.
The six finalists – Adam Walsh (1826 Adare), Conor Morrissey (Glovers Alley), Leticia Miranda (Mae Restaurant), Marcell Palfalusi (Thyme Restaurant), Matthias Beuque (Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud) and Shauna Murphy (Terre Restaurant) – created dishes inspired by Irish traditions and heritage while combining them with the diversity of today’s modern kitchen.
The Winner
Shauna Murphy won the overall Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023 competition with a main course of barbecued 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’s yoghurt ice cream, burnt apple, hazelnuts and whiskey caramel.
Guest chef Paolo Casagrande announced this year’s prize, calling Shauna Murphy to the stage to receive the trophy, designed by chef Kevin Thornton.
‘Successful Careers’
“We would like to congratulate Shauna on winning the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023, presented by La Rousse Foods,” said Manuela Spinelli, head of community, people and culture at Euro-Toques Ireland.
“It’s inspiring to see that many young chefs who take part in the competition journey remain involved with the community.
“Many former winners and finalists, who now have successful careers, were present at the gala, contributing to the success of this year’s events.”
Gala Dinner
At the gala dinner hosted by the InterContinental Hotel, the courses were created by a group of chefs who support the organisation, including canapés from Dervilla O’Flynn (Ballymaloe House), a starter from Dan Hannigan (Orwell Road) and Conor Halpenny (the Square), a fish course from Mark Moriarty, a main course from Danni Barry (Ballynahinch Castle), and dessert from Jack Lenards (Firehouse Bakery).
The all-island cheese board was served with honey and crackers, while local producers and suppliers selected by the Euro-Toques Food Council were prominently featured on the menu, including Coolattin cheddar, Dooncastle oysters, Durrus cheese, Grá Chocolates, Gubbeen cured meats, Iona Farm vegetables, Isle of Crackers cheese crackers, Killahora Orchards wines, Meadowfield Farm, Olly’s Farm honey, Skeaghanore duck, Dart Mountain cheese, Velvet Cloud, Wicklow sika deer, Wildwood Balsamics, and Ballymakenny Farm.
The wines were provided by partners JN Wine.
