Head chef Seamus Commons of La Fougère restaurant, Knockranny House Hotel and Spa in Westport has been nominated in the Best Regional Chef in Connacht category at the Food & Wine magazine Edward Dillon Restaurant of the Year Awards 2009.
All nominees have been selected by the food-loving general public and now the final decision lies with a panel of Ireland’s top food and wine experts who have the difficult task of choosing the winners.
Those lucky winners will be announced at this year’s Food & Wine Edward Dillon Restaurant of the Year Awards which will take place on Sunday August 23 at 12.30pm. This prestigious event is being held at The Mansion House, Dublin 2.
Mayo-born Commons is renowned for his attention to detail and is passionate about using the highest quality locally produced ingredients in his cooking. Knockranny House Hotel prides itself on stocking the absolute best of what the local area has to offer and so Commons has found himself very much at home with this mutually shared ethos. Since his arrival, the talented chef has been heavily involved in the hotel’s new gourmet showcase Taste Knockranny and in developing the production of the hotel’s on-site organic smoked salmon.
Speaking on his recent Food & Wine magazine nomination, Commons said he was absolutely delighted to be nominated and is very much looking forward to the awards in Dublin next month. “To be shortlisted in this category is a real honour, not just for me as head chef but for the tremendously talented team of chefs I have working with me, the restaurant staff, and for all the team here at Knockranny House Hotel. We have worked tirelessly to ensure everything we offer is the best of what this region has to offer and to be selected as best chef in the region would be the icing on the cake.”
