The Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2025 announced six finalists after the semi-finals on Sunday, 19 June at Dublin Cookery School, three form Cork and one each from Dublin, Tipperary and Wexford. The finalists are:
- David Harte from The Searooms at Kellys Resort in Rosslare, mentored by Chris Fullam;
- Rob Martin of Apple’s corporate HQ in Cork, mentored by Richard Murray;
- Nell McCarthy from dede in Baltimore, mentored by Ahmet Dede;
- Eoghan O’Flynn from The Cove at Fota Resort, mentored by Alex Petit;
- Joseph Quane of Allta on Dublin’s Grand Canal Harbour, mentored by Niall Davidson;
- Maaike Venema from The Bishop’s Buttery at Cashel Palace Hotel, mentored by Stephen Hayes.
The judging panel included Mickael Viljanen of Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen in Dublin, award-winning chef Mark Moriarty, Shauna Froydenlund of The Fold (opening soon in Derry), Stevie McCarry of Lir in Coleraine, Gareth Mullins of Anantara The Marker, Conor Halpenny of Square Dundalk and Commissioner General of Euro-Toques Ireland, Domini Kemp of Valence Hospitality, and Shauna Murphy of Pullman in Galway.
This year’s competition is themed “Forgotten Foods: Honouring Ireland’s Larder.” Competitors faced pastry-focused skills tests and mystery basket challenges featuring megrim, seasonal vegetables, and sauces. The awards, which were established in 1996 by the members of the Euro-Toques Food Committee and based on an idea by iconic Irish chef Myrtle Allen
The competition theme “Forgotten Foods: Honouring Ireland’s Larder” aims to celebrate traditional ingredients and cooking techniques.
The final will be held on Sunday, 12 October 2025, followed by a Gala Dinner at the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin. The 14 participating chefs in the semi-final were:
- Sam Carroll of Mikey Ryan’s, mentored by Stephen Hayes; Pan fried megrim, smoked poached potatoes, seared fennel and butter sauce chive oil Aoife Comeford of Glover’s Alley, mentored by Alfredo Godoy; Roast megrim, cream and white wine sauce, raw beetroot and turnip.
- Keira Ferry of Olde Glen Bar and Restaurant, mentored by Ciaran Sweeney; Roast fillet megrim, glazed carrot, pickled sea vegetables , beurre blanc.
- David Harte of The Searoom’s at Kellys Resort, mentored by Chris Fullam; Megrim, romanesco puree, baby felled wild asparagus salad, tagutti and nasturtium, light dill sauce.
- Anna Hevers of Goldie, Cork, mentored by Aishling Moore; Courgette flower with megrim, wild garlic scape, courgette,cured egg yolk.
- Matthew Looram of Uno Mas, mentored by Paul McNamara; Seared megrim, garlic pil pil Sauce, wild asparagus, roast courgette, grilled oyster mushroom.
- Rob Martin of Apple HQ, mentored by Richard Murray; Pan seared megrim, messily of veg black garlic butter, roast bone beurre blanc, chervil oil, Goatsbridge trout row. Pickled beetroot . Ceviche megrim, wild asparagus chives chervil radish lemon juice seaweed Goatsbridge row.
- Nell McCarthy of dede, mentored by Ahmet Dede; Pan fried megrim, fresh herb and sea spaghetti beurre blanc, gooseberries, romesco ricotta tomatoes almond dingle sea salt.
- Oisín McMahon of Pichet, mentored by Harry Quinn; Pan seared megrim, taste of summer tomato water emulsion, heirloom tomato, courgette aubergine spring onion pickled mushroom.
- Eoghan O’Flynn of The Cove at Fota Resort, mentored by Alex Petit; Butter poached megrim, summer garden salad, beurre blanc.
- Joseph Quane of Allta, mentored by Niall Davidson; Poached megrim, beurre blanc with trout roe, wild asparagus.
- Ian Rankin Harford of Aniar, mentored by JP McMahon; Pan seared megrim on the bone, lovage sauce braised and fresh fennel.
- Kylian Tixier of Variety Jones, mentored by Keelan Higgs; Megrim meunière, trout egg sauce and glazed vegetables.
- Maaike Venema of The Bishop’s Buttery at Cashel Palace Hotel, mentored by Stephen Hayes. Megrim 2 ways Mousse in courgette flower, pan seared, Courgette fried, picked, torched, smoked beurre blanc.
Conor Halpenny shared: “This is an opportunity to bring together some of the best young talent on the island and to shine a spotlight on the artisan producers we value so much. This year we wanted to focus on local ingredients that are often overlooked. Our young chefs reimagined this humble fish in thoughtful and exciting ways.”
The idea is to reflect on the richness of Ireland’s culinary heritage and ask what we may have left behind. The challenge for competitors is to rediscover lost ingredients, traditional techniques and the foodways that shaped Irish cuisine – then bring them to life in a way that’s rooted in sustainability and modern creativity. The focus is on reimagining what’s possible with the bounty of Ireland’s land and sea. From heritage grains to lesser-known fish, from curing and fermentation to nose-to-tail butchery and farmhouse cheesemaking, the brief asks: how can the past shape the future of food?
In the semi-finals, the chefs faced two core challenges. The first was a pastry-focused skills test, where they had just 30 minutes to replicate a recipe for shortbread biscuits and create a flavoured cream of their own design. The second task involved a mystery basket. In 90 minutes, each competitor had to prepare two plates of a dish featuring three mandatory elements: megrim, seasonal vegetables, and a sauce. The judges were not only looking for creativity, but also for an understanding of balance, texture, and respectful treatment of humble ingredients.
Gareth Mullins, Chair of the Young Chefs Committee, shared: “This year we wanted to highlight local ingredients that are often overlooked,. Megrim is a great example. For decades it was almost entirely exported to countries like Spain and France. But recently, there’s been a real push to promote megrim here in Ireland, where it’s now sometimes referred to as Irish sole.” He added that while megrim has a delicate texture and subtle flavour, it’s rarely seen on menus – something that hopefully will change. Our young chefs reimagined this humble fish in thoughtful and exciting ways. Competitions like this give us a chance to get people thinking differently about what they eat.”
