Local chef Garret Byrne was lauded by the foody glitterati as he claimed a double victory in a prestigious national competition at the plush Four Seasons hotel in Dublin recently.
Mr Byrne, the proprietor of popular Kilkenny restaurant Campagne, was named as ‘Best Chef in Leinster’, excluding Dublin, in the Food&Wine Magazine/Penfold’s Restaurant of the Year Awards.
And Campagne, located on Gas House Lane in Kilkenny city, received the ‘Best Leinster Restaurant Award’, excluding Dublin, at the ceremony, which is the Irish foodies’ equivalent of the Oscars.
Mr Byrne, a native of Kilkenny, made his name as a chef in popular Dublin restaurants Bruno’s and Chapter One before returning to Kilkenny in 2008 to open Campagne with his partner Brid Hannon.
The restaurant, which serves ‘modern French food using the very best of local Irish produce’, has quickly established itself as one of the city and country’s leading culinary outlets.
And this was recognised in the restaurant of the year awards where Campagne saw off competition from celebrated restaurants like Wexford’s Dunbrody Country House Hotel and Aldridge Lodge.
As well as being named the best restaurant in Leinster outside the capital, Campagne was also recognised as one of the leading restaurants in Ireland, listed at joint number eight in Food&Wine magazine’s top 10 in the country.
And Garrett Byrne was named at number six in the magazine’s list of the country’s top 10 chefs.
Dublin’s Chapter One restaurant was awarded the title of Ireland’s best restaurant for the second year running while that restaurant’s proprietor, Ross Lewis was named the country’s best chef.
Food&Wine magazine editor Ross Golden-Bannon praised the Irish restaurant sector for continuing to deliver innovative, quality and value driven menus in the face of incredible odds.
