Taste the Atlantic ambassadors announced
13th July 2022
Ireland’s Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has announced this year’s Taste the Atlantic Young Chef ambassadors, reports Paul Scott.
The programme was created by BIM, and is a collaboration with Chef Network and Fáilte Ireland designed as a way to give emerging young chefs an in-depth experience of the Irish seafood, aquaculture and coastal tourism sectors.
Now in its second year, the scheme sees young chefs immersed in a four-month programme, during which each chef embarks on a seafood journey along the Taste the Atlantic trail.
During their journey, the chefs get to familiarise themselves with oyster, mussel and salmon producers working along the western seaboard.
This year’s ambassadors have been named as Roann Byrne, 21, commis chef at Bryanstown Social, Drogheda; Rebecca Sweeney, 23, head chef at Hooked Restaurant, Sligo; Robin Martin, 24, chef de partie at Mulcahy’s Restaurant, Kerry; Stephen Cronin, 21, chef de partie at The Bayview Hotel, Ballycotton, Cork; and Torin Small, 24, chef de partie at Lough Erne Resort, Fermanagh.
The young chefs have already visited seafood producers in the west of Ireland, including a visit to Burren Smoke House, Co Clare, where owner and producer Birgitta Curtin gave a demonstration of her Irish salmon smokery.
The chefs also got to visit Flaggy Shore Oysters in Co Clare, and Moran’s Oyster Cottage in Kilcolgan, Co Galway, where they learnt about oyster production and the important role that the industry plays in the area.
The young chefs will also spend two days developing their culinary skills with Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon at his Aniar Restaurant in Co Galway.
Additionally, master fishmonger Hal Dawson will provide training to the chefs in fish quality and preparation at the BIM Seafood Innovation Hub in Clonakilty, Co Cork.
BIM says that ‘one of the unique features of the Taste the Atlantic ambassador programme is the pairing of chefs with seafood producers, helping them to gain a deeper understanding of the provenance of Irish seafood’.
The Taste the Atlantic Young Chef programme culminates with an event at the Galway International Oyster Festival in September.
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
