South Eastern Regional College student chef David Magee from Kilclief is at the top of his game. He was named ‘Student Culinarian of the Year 2016’ at the recent IFEX Chef Skills competition, Northern Ireland’s premiere food, drink, retail and hospitality event which took place at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast.
The student-chef studies professional cookery at SERC and also works for the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa Hotel as a Commis Chef. During the competition David had to prepare three courses in two hours and was marked on hygiene, flavour and presentation. He was assisted by commis chef Andrew Bradford from the Colleges catering apprenticeship NI course.
Commenting on his success, David said: “I am delighted to have won a gold medal. The competition required me to prepare and cook everything live during the exhibition in full view of the public and under the watchful eye of the judges so it was very nerve racking.
“It was a lot of hard work and extremely tiring, but after winning the award it’s definitely been worth it.”
Salon Culinaire, which David won, is hotly anticipated as the place where the ‘best of’ culinarians in Northern Ireland are formally acknowledged – including Michael Deane, Chris Bell and Roisin Gavin – who were first recognised on the IFEX stage.
IFEX was officially opened on Tuesday 11th March by Mr David Small, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, who joined Toby Wand, MD and Soraya Gadelrab, Event Director, both of Fresh Montgomery, and Sean Owens, Director of the Salon Culinaire on the podium.
Local students from SERC’s School of Business, Hospitality and Tourism took part in the four day competition which featured students from the College’s full and part-time professional cookery, catering and hospitality courses.
Michael Gillies, catering lecturer at SERC said: “David is a very keen, capable student who has shown a real passion for the food and the hospitality industry. Winning a gold medal in such a high profile, prestigious event is a fantastic achievement. David was up against some of the best in the industry.
“This competition is renowned for its competitiveness and attracted some of the very best up and coming chefs from across Ireland so I am absolutely thrilled he has done so well. The event also attracts key people from within the hospitality and catering industry so it’s a great opportunity to showcase what the college offers. Winning gold in this competition is just the beginning of a brilliant career for him.”
Meanwhile, Michael set an excellent example for the students this year having been awarded the City and Guilds Medal of Excellence, having been nominated by his colleague Michelle McCarthy for his delivery of the vocational qualifications.
James Currie SERC Head of School for Business, Hospitality and Tourism added: “The competition was an excellent opportunity for our students to demonstrate the high level of skills they have learnt during their studies. For students to compete so successfully, to such a high standard, is outstanding. This level of success illustrates the quality of education and training on offer within SERC’s School of Business, Hospitality and Catering and showcases how talented our students really are.”
