Irish culinary students from Bray Institute of Further Education (BIFE) in Wicklow have achieved outstanding success at the GastroErasmus 2026 International Culinary Competition, held from 27 to 29 March 2026 in Manavgat, Antalya, Turkey. The event brought together 34 teams from 24 countries, with young chefs competing in individual categories and as teams. The Irish contingent secured multiple gold medals across key disciplines and claimed the overall team gold.
Dara Byrne won gold and finished in first place overall in the main course (JP1) category. His winning dish featured lamb rump with a dukkah crust, Jerusalem artichoke dauphinoise, burnt aubergine purée, and a lime-pickled salad. Deacon Greene earned gold in the individual fish plate (JP2) category. Morgan McGinty took gold in the dessert course. The BIFE team, led by culinary arts coordinator Martin Potts, also secured the team gold medal for their coordinated performance across the competition.
The Irish students impressed judges with high scores in technique, presentation, creativity, and flavour, where gold medals required over 90 points out of 100. Their results highlight strong vocational training in Irish culinary education on the international stage. The GastroErasmus competition forms part of the Erasmus+ programme and focuses on developing professional skills among students from tourism and hospitality vocational schools.
