Southern Regional College students triumph in Rotary Generation Chef final

The competition which took place on Thursday, May 1 at Belfast Met, brought together students from Northern Ireland’s six Further Education Colleges, who had previously excelled in local competitions to earn their place at the final.

Southern Regional College's team consisted of Danielle Grant, a Level 5 Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management Foundation degree student from Carryduff, and Level 2 Professional Chef Traineeship students Callum McElarney from Newry and Leon Ruddy from Bleary.

The team prepared an epic three course meal that wowed the judges. The starter featured pan seared Kilkeel monkfish and Carlingford mussel fricassee with a seaweed dusted crisp oyster, accompanied by a warm tartare sauce and Mourne sea vegetable.

This was followed by a main course of Hannan’s sugar pit pork loin, together with a pork and truffle honey croquette, turnip fondant, spring cabbage, sweet potato puree and Long Meadow cider jus.

To conclude this culinary delight, students served a desert of Neary Noggs chocolate delice, with elements of stacked liqueur ice-cream, a milk crumble and sea buckthorn gel.

Prior to the competition, students were required to design a three-course menu considering locality, seasonality and sustainability, with the front of house student designing a mood board which provided a rationale for the chosen dish and ingredients used.

Michelle Moore, Curriculum Area Manager at Southern Regional College commented: “What a fantastic result for Danielle, Callum, and Leon. Callum and Leon put in an immense amount of effort in planning and executing their award-winning dishes and Danielle excelled in the Front of House service. This result is a testament to their hard work and passion for Culinary Arts and the Hospitality Industry.

"This credit also extends to their Culinary Arts and Hospitality Lecturers. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and excited to see what the future holds for these talented individuals.

The Rotary Clubs of Northern Ireland collaborated with the six Further Education Colleges across Northern Ireland to offer a unique opportunity for aspiring chefs to hone their skills, gain industry exposure, and compete at a national level. The competition embodies Rotary’s mission of fostering community growth, connecting people and supporting young talent.