Shauna Murphy from Terre Restaurant in Castlemartyr Resort was announced as the winner of the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023 competition at a gala dinner in the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin this week. The young chef is mentored by chef Angelo Vagiotis (Chef de cuisine Terre Restaurant) and was presented with the trophy by Guest chef Paolo Casagrande of three-Michelin star Lasarte in Barcelona.

The final skills test, held at the professional kitchens of Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock, required the six remaining contestants to devise two original dishes – a main course featuring Irish brown crab and lobster and an original starter or dessert using Velvet Cloud yogurt.

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) – demonstrated their culinary skills and palate by presenting creative and carefully-designed dishes for the judges to taste, taking inspiration from Irish traditions and heritage, while combining it with the diversity of today's modern kitchen.

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).

Manuela Spinelli, Head of Community, people & culture of Euro-Toques Ireland said, “We would like to congratulate Shauna on winning the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2023 presented by La Rousse Foods. 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. This, together with the support of chef members is a true testament to the communal sentiment that sees Euro-Toques Ireland grow from strength to strength”.

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”.

The Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition is Ireland’s premier culinary competition celebrating Ireland’s best emerging culinary talent. Open to professional chefs under the age of 28, the competition 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.

Visit Euro-Toques’s website