Dairy Chef Competition 2022 [fr]

The scholastic competition of France-Irish culinary chefs is back for a third edition! Hosted by the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and organised by the Embassy of France in Ireland, the National Dairy Council and the Centre national interprofessionnel de l’économie laitière, the purpose of this competition is to give students the opportunity to showcase all skills and knowledge learnt within their institution.

The success of the competition lies in the importance of Dairy in both Irish and French gastronomy:

A word from the NDC in Ireland - “From the sweeping Irish landscape of pasture-based dairy farms to the diverse range of Irish dairy products, it is no wonder Ireland is recognised internationally for its high-quality dairy produce and dairy ingredients. The versatility of dairy foods allows for its uses in main meal dishes; starters and appetisers; snacks; and desserts. Irish dairy produce has a superb reputation for quality in global markets. In Ireland, the green countryside is a tremendous asset because the pasture-based model of dairy farming is a vital ingredient for the success of Irish dairy produce all over the world.”

A word from the Cniel in France - “True culinary symbols, dairy products are part of the French historical, cultural and gastronomical legacy. Their extraordinary diversity is a result of the multiplicity of terroirs (soil, climate, altitude, ...), of their specific vegetation (fodder for animals), of local knowledge and cultural traditions. To transcend the ages, dairy products have constantly evolved and reinvented themselves. Nowadays, with French dairy products, the field of possibilities is infinite!”

THEME OF THE COMPETITION

2022 is all about recovery and sustainability, and Dairy Chef will be no exception! Galway is the best place to hold the 6th Forum of the FICAHT network from 6th April to 8th April 2022.
The theme of Dairy Chef 2020 has been chosen to embrace this exceptional year: Sustainability and innovation for meals in the future.

The pandemic has revealed the urgency of global actions for health, climate, and nature and has reconnected people to their close environment. The theme chosen reflects new approaches to cooking. Students will be asked to take into account requirements for sustainable meals: zero waste, local and healthy ingredients etc. Innovation should also be at the heart of the menu proposed by the competitors. Innovation could be present in the cooking techniques, recipes etc.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Have a look at last year’s Dairy Chef contest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhcj6yzMYKY
Copyright

Up to 6 French and 6 Irish finalists will participate in a cook-off final in Galway, GMIT, on Wednesday 6th April 2022. Culinary students of top colleges in Ireland and France will be invited to create a three-course menu celebrating Irish and French dairy produce. Each dish created must include dairy as the main ingredient.
Teams will be drawn by the jury during the selection of finalists, in January, and formed by one Irish student and one French student. Each pair will be given a basket of ingredients and will have two months to create a menu together around Dairy products.
There are many prizes for the winners to be announced.

[NEW] New scheme in 2022, to ensure inclusivity and in recognition of reduced practical experience due to Covid the following categories of strands will exist for the Dairy chef competition:

• STRAND 1 - novice students

Ireland - Up to and including QQI level 6 to include students on apprenticeship and SPRINGBOARD programmes.
France - Up to and including Bac Pro / CAP

• STRAND 2

Ireland - Culinary programmes at QQI Level 7 & 8 - full or part-time.
France - Culinary students Post Bac / Post CAP (BTS, licence, Bachelor etc.)

HOW TO APPLY?

This contest is free to enter and open to participating institutions offering culinary arts training in France and Ireland.
Registration will follow a two-step process:
1. Registration of the institutions by 19 November 2021
Institutions need to register on the form below to enter the competition.
Once they are registered, they can select internally the student(s) that will represent their institution.
A preparatory meeting with the organisers will be held for tutors in all registered institutions.
2. Application of the students by 17 December 2021
The link to the application form will be sent by email to the institutions. Each participating institution will report on the number of participants considered and will select champions who will be permitted to continue in the competition. Each French institution may select only one champion. Each Irish Institute of Technology may select up to two champions. Each Irish college affiliated with ETBs may select up to one champion.
The applicant will need to provide a multimedia file (content and format specified later)

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

The competition is open to culinary students in full-time education in participating institutions in France and Ireland.
The organisers will consider as a participant any student who has been approved by a registered institution, provided the expected file (specified later), accepted all the terms and conditions of the contest and agrees to be present in Galway from Tuesday 5th April (get together event in the evening) until Thursday 7th April (departure). The Cook-Off final takes place on Wednesday 6th April 2021 (8am-2pm + award ceremony in the evening) at the GMIT. All travel and accommodation costs of the finalist in relation to the contest will be covered by the organisers, partners and sponsors within the limit of the maximum amount given by the sponsors.

Read the terms and conditions of the competition (left) & and the proposal of the 2022 competition (right)

(PDF - 561.7 kb)

(PDF - 856.6 kb)

REGISTRATION FORM

- Registration closed !

CONTACT

You can ask about the competition at this address: Academic[at]ambafrance-ie.org
Ready? Steady? COOK!