The whole of Ramsgrange Community School is rooting for 1st yr student Ava Hogan who will compete next week in the Healthy Home Chef competition which is a well-known all-island student cookery contest in Ireland, closely associated with celebrity chef Neven Maguire.
While we cannot give away details of Ava's menu plan for the competition, we can say that together with her teacher Ms. Dunne she has been working very hard on her creations which we hope will impress the judges as much as they have impressed us in Ramsgrange Community School.
The Healthy Home Chef competition is an annual cooking competition for secondary school students across Ireland. It is organised by Atlantic Technological University (ATU), particularly through its St. Angela’s campus in Sligo and so Ms Dunne and Ava will have quiet the distance to travel to even get there.
The aim of the competition is to encourage young people to:
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- Cook healthy, balanced meals
- Develop practical kitchen skills
- Think creatively about nutrition and home cooking
Students typically create dishes that meet specific health and budget guidelines, often tied to Home Economics studies but for the moment we are sworn to secrecy in relation to what Ava will wow the judges with.
Celebrity chef Neven Maguire is a key ambassador and judge for the competition. He helpsjudge the final cook-off, offers expert feedback to finalists and often participates in events or cook-alongs with winners - so fingers crossed for Ava that she gets to benefit from some of Neven's top tips next week. His involvement adds a big profile boost as Neven is one of Ireland’s most recognised TV chefs and runs the award-winning MacNean House restaurant.
Ava entered this competition through the schools with the support of her teacher Ms. Dunne and having won the the regional rounds is now off to Sligo for the all-island final cook-off. How incredible is this from a first year student!!!! Ava and the other finalists compete live, preparing their dishes under judging conditions who often use criteria such as include: Nutritional balance, Taste and presentation, Creativity and Cooking technique to help them decide on the overall winner.
Best of luck Ava - you are our winner anyway!!!