ANDREW CROWNED TOP CHEF!

DKIT student Andrew Reddan has been crowned KNORR Student Chef of the Year 2017 after a thrilling cook off hosted by Cork Institute of Technology.

Not only did Andrew overcome a challenging theme set out by KNORR, he also successfully fought off the challenge of ten other rising stars to claim the top prize.

Students were challenged to create a starter using Irish seafood and a main course celebrating Irish beef.

They were also asked to demonstrate an understanding of the challenges of culinary sustainability, food waste management and allergen awareness.

Andrew impressed the judges with his starter of Irish sea bass with Carlingford mussel ragout with lemon and curd and mint risotto.

For his main course, he served a ‘ Tasting of beef ’, which comprised seared sirloin, cheek croquette, bonemarrow crumb with carmelised celeriac puree.

Andrew explains the story behind his menu: ‘ the dishes were inspired by my experience as a fisherman, fishing off the east coast of Ireland in a little village called Baltray. I’m also a keen supporter of local producers.’

‘ The concept of the dishes is trying to combine food, science and art to create dishes full of culture, history and modern techniques, while using local, seasonal produce sourced on my doorstep.’

As well as the much-coveted KNORR Student Chef of the Year title, Andrew won a fantastic culinary experience in New York. On the first night, he will dine in the chic surroundings of the multi award winning and three-starred Michelin restaurant, Eleven Madison Park.

He will also get an opportunity to take a unique food tour of The Big Apple.