Celebrity chefs won’t be the only foodies in the limelight during the Savour Kilkenny festival later this month.
Aspiring chefs are being given the opportunity to have their cookery skills acknowledged and celebrated following the announcement of the Savour Kilkenny Young Chef Competition.
To mark 2008 as the Year of the Potato, the Savour Kilkenny committee has invited school children throughout Kilkenny city and county to create a tasty dish featuring the potato as a key ingredient. The competition has two categories; one for primary school pupils and one for secondary school students. Details have already been outlined in a letter issued to secondary schools around the county and are also available on "http://www.savourkilkenny.com".
From the entries, six students will be selected to bring their dish to life in a cook off in Rylands Cookery, Cuffesgrange later this month. Proprietor Anne Neary and a team from Savour Kilkenny will pick two winners who will each receive €100. Those shortlisted will receive certificates. The announcement of the winners and presentation of prizes will take place at the reception to open the Savour Kilkenny festival in Kilkenny Castle on October 24.
“Savour Kilkenny is as much about promoting good food values and culinary talent as it is about enjoying and celebrating food,” said Olivia Goodwillie, chairperson, Savour Kilkenny.
“The Savour Kilkenny Young Chef Competition will allow student chefs to be creative and have their talents recognised.”
Other Kilkenny talents will also be recognised over the festival weekend. Following last year’s inaugural Savour Kilkenny Good Food Award, food writer John McKenna will present the award for the second year to a business or individual for services to good food in Kilkenny. The presentation will be made at the opening of Savour Kilkenny in Kilkenny Castle on Friday October 24.
Last year’s winner was Chris Wong and Mary Shortis, proprietors of Shortis Wong’s delicatessen. John McKenna describes the John Street landmark as “A true star…the best place for ethnic ingredients and for any queer gear that your most arcane recipe calls for.”
