Budding young chefs from St Mary’s College test their culinary skills in DkIT kitchens for TY Masterchef Final

Transition Year (TY) students from St Mary’s College recently put their culinary skills to the test in a cook off against their classmates which took place in the DkIT kitchens.

The Transition Year students were tasked with creating two courses of their choice to try and win the title of TY Masterchef, serving a main dish and either a starter or dessert, with a 2-hour, 3-minute service window for each group.

Seven teams with the assistance of DkIT’s Alan McCabe, Michael Mc Namara and Rosemary Leonard and St Mary’s Home Economics teachers Siobhán Stewart and Riognach Duffy, displayed their creative cooking skills, making all dishes from scratch. Adding another dimension to their cooking, the students also used ingredients grown in the Marist school gardens, which are so beautifully taken care of by Ms Roisín Cotter from Roisín’s Garden. Roisín provides expertise on growing your own food and the benefits of this and works dedicatedly all year round with the St Mary’s staff, keeping the school gardens flourishing, and supplying the freshest of ingredients to the Home Economics kitchens.

Alan Mc Cabe, Programme Director, Culinary Arts at DkIT said:

“We were delighted to host the final of St Mary’s College Masterchef and welcome the talented Transition Years from the school to the DkIT kitchens. Their enthusiasm for producing dishes of the highest quality and taste was infectious and it was so encouraging to see the strong appetite for cooking great food among the students. Their use of own grown herbs was a wonderful addition to their dishes and really added to the meals produced. A huge congratulations to all the staff and students involved, we look forward to welcoming you back again.”

A feast for the eyes and the palette, the competing teams served a wide range of cuisines including Asian, Mexican and Italian to the judging panel, comprising of Michael Mc Namara, Roisín Cotter and St Mary’s representatives Aoife Rafferty and Anne Mulligan. Dishes were scored on criteria including skills, presentation and taste. Each team also created a non-alcoholic cocktail to serve with their meals.

It was a tough competition, but Lee Smyth and Jayden Mulroy took home first place with their delectable Cajun Chicken Tagliatelle, including pasta made from scratch, Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon Churros and a Virgin Strawberry Daquiri.

Speaking about their win, Lee and Jayden said:

'"Great fun was had throughout the Masterchef Programme, particularly learning important life skills and we have been cooking loads since. Lee hadn't tried cooking at home before the competition so we were absolutely delighted to win.”

Mia Jackson and Emily Cahill secured a close second place with their Fully Loaded Nachos, Chicken Tinga and a Nojito. Alan McIntyre’s Capellini Pasta, Chicken Satay Skewers with Golden Egg Fried Rice, Chocolate Mousse and Summer Blush Mocktail and Angela Brady’s stunningly presented Seafood Linguine, Pavlova and Nojito, took joint third place.

Siobhán Stewart, Home Economics Teacher, St Mary’s College said:

“St Mary’s College Masterchef finalists had a fantastic experience in the DKIT Kitchens completing our Masterchef Programme which we offer to our TY students. We are so proud of all the students who took part with the assistance of Alan, Michael and Rosie in DKIT and whose Masterchef journey was ably led by the Marist staff. Their creativity and skills grew so much over the year and the end results were so impressive. A huge thank you to Roisín Cotter for her wonderful care of our school gardens, producing delicious fresh ingredients which only enhanced the flavour of the student’s dishes. The success of this competition wouldn’t have been possible without the support of DkIT, Riognach Duffy, Aoife Rafferty and Anne Mulligan. A thoroughly wonderful and memorable day was had by all Marist Students and Staff.”