Healthy Home Chef competition turns up the heat at ATU with celebrity chef Neven Maguire
The food labs at ATU were in full flow recently with the return of the Healthy Home Chef Cooking Competition held last week (30 April and 1 May) at ATU St Angelas campus with celebrity chef Neven Maguire keeping score.
Open to junior and senior secondary school students, the all-island event was an opportunity for young people to create tasty, nutritious, and affordable meals at home.
Entries came from all parts of the country who submitted their culinary ideas for consideration.
From this a select few were shortlisted as finalists in both junior and senior categories who were then invited to the campus to recreate their dishes before a panel of judges including award winning chef and TV presenter, Neven Maguire.
Dr Elaine Mooney, Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Home Economics at ATU St Angelas welcomed the return of the competition, “this is an event we really look forward to every year as it’s a great way to connect with young people who already have a passion and flair for food”. “The standards they bring get better and better each year and it’s no small testament to their Home Economics teachers who clearly see great potential in them”.
As guest judge, Neven Maguire admits it was no easy job to select the winners, “these talented young people bring a vibrancy to the kitchen each and every year and really put their skills into their chosen dishes. If they enjoy what they’re doing, enjoy creating these amazing dishes to share with others, then they are all winners in my opinion”.
The event concluded with a prize-giving ceremony which included a range of vouchers as well as kitchen equipment for the winning schools. Winning students came from schools across counties; Roscommon, Kildare, Armagh, Cork and Mayo.
This year’s winners are:
Juniors:
Juliet Jaison, Junior Gold Winner (Convent of Mercy, Roscommon).
Meadbh Hartnett, Junior Silver Winner (Holy Family, Kildare).
Anna Owen, Junior Bronze Winner (Clounagh Junior High School, Portadown)
Seniors:
Poppy Kilpatrick, Senior Gold Winner (Skibbereen Community School, Cork).
Meabh Golding, Senior Silver Winner (Balla Secondary School, Mayo)
Thien Laitenberger, Senior Bronze Winner (Sancta Maria College, Mayo).
Aidan Haughey
ATU Communications Manager /
Bainisteoir Cumarsáide OTA
Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta an Atlantaigh (OTA), Éire
Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Ireland
Tel: +353 86 086 6913
www.atu.ie/communications
Juliet Jaison, Junior Gold Winner Photo 1: Dr Helen Maguire, Head of School of Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, Dr Amanda McCloat, Head of ATU St Angelas, Juliet Jaison, Junior Gold Winner (Convent of Mercy, Roscommon), Chef Neven Maguire, Teacher Michelle Cleary, Dr Elaine Mooney, Director of National Centre of Excellence for Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, Helen Allen, President of ATHE.
Meadbh Hartnett, Junior Silver Winner Photo 2: Dr Elaine Mooney, Director of National Centre of Excellence for Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, Dr Amanda McCloat, Head of ATU St Angelas, Meadbh Hartnett, Junior Silver Winner (Holy Family, Kildare), Chef Neven Maguire, Teacher Joanne Byrne, Dr Helen Maguire, Head of School of Home Economics, Helen Allen, President of ATHE.
Anna Owen, Junior Bronze Winner Photo 3: Dr Elaine Mooney, Director of National Centre of Excellence for Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, Dr Amanda McCloat, Head of ATU St Angelas, Teacher Rachel Frizzell, Anna Owen, Junior Bronze Winner (Clounagh Junior High School, Portadown), Chef Neven Maguire, Dr Helen Maguire, Head of School of Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, Helen Allen, President of ATHE.
Poppy Kilpatrick Senior Gold Winner (Skibbereen Community School, Cork), Chef Neven Maguire, Teacher Norma Roberts, Derek Gallagher, Head of Dunnes Stores Simply Better, Dr Helen Maguire, Head of School of Home Economics, ATU St Angelas.
Meabh Golding Senior Silver Winner: Dr Amanda McCloat, Head of ATU St Angelas, Dr Elaine Mooney, Director of National Centre of Excellence for Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, Meabh Golding, Senior Silver Winner (Balla Secondary School, Mayo), Chef Neven Maguire, Derek Gallagher, Head of Dunnes Stores Simply Better, Dr Helen Maguire, Head of School of Home Economics, ATU St Angelas.
Thien Laitenberger, Senior Bronze Winner: Dr Amanda McCloat, Head of ATU St Angelas, Dr Elaine Mooney, Director of National Centre of Excellence for Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, Teacher Joan Rennick, Thien Laitenberger, Senior Bronze Winner (Sancta Maria College, Mayo), Chef Neven Maguire, Derek Gallagher, Head of Dunnes Stores Simply Better brand, Dr Helen Maguire, Head of School of Home Economics, ATU St Angelas.