There's been a gently simmering pot of rivalry on the stove at Chapter One restaurant in Dublin recently, where two chefs have been preparing for the final of the Euro-Toques Young Chef 2014. It's the first time in the history of the competition, open to professional chefs aged between 18 and 26, that two chefs from the same restaurant have made the final. Ian McHale (26) is senior chef de partie and Matthew Logan (22) is chef de partie at the restaurant.
"It is a competition but they have both been very supportive of each other. It has been quite challenging to mentor two chefs for the same competition, but they have very individual styles, which made it a really interesting past number of months," says Chapter One chef patron Ross Lewis.
“Ian McHale has been with us for a little over a year and a half and his previous jobs included Linwoods, one of the best restaurants in Maryland in the US, and he had also worked at the Merrion Hotel before coming to us. Matt Logan is in the middle of a Culinary Arts degree at the University of Ulster and has worked during his studies at Ox restaurant in Belfast and spent some time at L’Enclume, Simon Rogan’s restaurant in the English Lake District. So, as you can see from their culinary paths, they are two very different chefs, but equally talented in different ways.”
The other finalists are John Fitzmaurice (25) sous chef at the Mustard Seed in Adare, Co Limerick; Luke Ahearne (22) chef de partie at Campagne in Kilkenny, and Chris Fullam (21), who is a student of culinary arts in his third year at DIT, Cathal Brugha Street.
The finalists have all come through a selection process that included a written submission and interview. The theme of this year's competition, sponsored by La Rousse Foods and run in association with Fáilte Ireland, is "No Chef is an Island". The final will take place in Dublin on November 23rd, when they will undertake an individual culinary skills test as well as work as a team to cook a prizegiving dinner for invited guests.
Their teamwork credentials will also be put to the test this evening, when they will work together for the first time to cook from a surprise larder of ingredients at a press and social media event in The Marker hotel in Dublin.
The winner will receive an expenses paid stage (work experience) at Michelin two-star restaurant The Square in London's Mayfair. Phil Howard, chef patron at The Square, will be a guest judge for the final round of the competition next month.
