Conor Sheridan is taking part in the Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year competition on 9 February 2023
For SETU student Conor Sheridan, the heat in the kitchen is quickly rising as he prepares to take part in the Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year 2023 competition.
The second-year Culinary Arts student is one of ten student chefs from culinary colleges around the country who will battle it out in the kitchen to win the highly regarded title. This is a particularly significant year for competition as it celebrates its 25th anniversary and takes place on Thursday, 9 February at Dundalk Institute of Technology.
Conor and the other student chefs will be hoping to impress the expert judging panel with their culinary creativity and skills. They are challenged with preparing and cooking two dishes based on this year’s theme, “Classic dishes with a modern make-over”. The students will be judged on their chefmanship, creativity and presentation of their dishes.
Conor, who works at Everett's in Waterford, has had an interest in food for a number of years, specifically the modern aspects of cooking. His long-term aim is to open his own restaurant but for now wants to take every opportunity to travel and learn.
Commenting ahead of the competition, Audrey Crone, Executive Chef Ireland at Unilever Food Solutions said: “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 their own television programmes.
“Every year, student chefs present dishes that would make the cut menus of many of the world’s top restaurants. As well as the opportunity to represent their colleges, the competition provides a platform for career progression by demonstrating their innovation and talents in using locally sourced ingredients to produce wonderfully tasting dishes as well as their understanding of sustainability in cooking. The judges are really looking forward to experiencing what the next generation of Ireland’s top chefs will serve up.”