With the confidence common to all Corkmen, Ross Lewis tells us that getting the lunch was "not a bother". He's cucumber cool and ready to serve a kitchen-full of master chefs, including London-based Richard Corrigan, Kilkenny-based William Fitzgerald, Dublin-based Derry Clarke and Wicklow-based Christine Cullen. It's all in a day's work at Chapter One restaurant on Parnell Square. The chefs are here to eat, chew the fat, sorry, the roast venison and swap recipes.
They've gathered for the official announcement of the five finalists in the Baileys Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition. For openers they have artichokes with foie gras - then "smug bacon". The main course is game (as they might say in Waterford "he's no chicken, but game") and, for dessert, butter hazelnut and chocolate tart with vanilla ice-cream. Yum, yum.