DkIT Student wins medal in Knorr Professional Chef of the Year

Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) are delighted to report that one of their Culinary Arts students Pat Kavas took third place and received the coveted bronze medal in the Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year competition. The second year Culinary Arts student was one of 10 student chefs from culinary colleges from all over Ireland, who battled it out in the kitchen for a chance to win. This was a particularly significant year for the contest as it celebrated its 25th anniversary which DkIT were thrilled to host on campus.

The theme of the competition was 'A Modern Interpretation of a Classic' and Pat cooked up a storm and raised the heat in the competition by using local seafood to create a modern version of the classic French stew 'Bouillabaisse'. She used the traditional flavours of the stew in a modern showcase of langoustines, scallops and sea bass.

Her second delicious dish was a modern 'Lemon Meringue Pie' served with blackberry ice cream, where she combined a lemon chiffon cake with a rich lemon curd, toasted meringue, and a walnut sable pastry disc.

Pat is currently working in The Claremont in Blackrock and has just been offered a position to work alongside Neven Maguire in MacNean House for her 6-month placement commencing this March.

Unilever Food Solutions executive chef Ireland Audrey Crone said- ‘The Student Chef of the Year competition is widely respected within the hospitality sector for its reputation for showcasing the talents of our culinary students. Previous winners have gone on to have very successful careers as well as writing recipe books and presenting television programmes. Every year, student chefs present dishes that would make the cut menus of many of the world’s top restaurants”.

DkIT would like to extend congratulations to all the medal winners and competitors who took part in this 25th anniversary Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year competition.