Young Galway chef causes a stir at big London event
A young Galway chef has won the UK & Ireland regional final of the prestigious international San Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 competition, held in London.
Killian Crowley, chef de partie at Michelin star Aniar Restaurant in Galway, will now represent Ireland at the grand final of the global talent search in Milan next June.
Killian won for his West of Ireland-inspired Turbot, Kohlrabi and Sea Purslane dish. It was described by judge Alyn Williams as "clean, simple, precise", while Angela Hartnett said: “It feels very much from the heart.”
Killian was one of ten semi-finalists including two other young Irish chefs.
A thrilled Killian said: “I am delighted. Three Irish chefs were in the semi-final this year, two on the podium, which proves that Irish food is getting better every day. We need every year to have more Irish chefs in international events like this.”
Killian will be mentored for the grand final by top UK chef Angela Hartnett, who was one of the four judges alongside Ireland-based chef Mickael Viljanen and UK chefs Phil Howard and Alyn Williams.
Killian, who was born in Belgium to an Irish father and Belgian mother, started his culinary training in Belgium at 15. He worked at a number of Michelin star establishments on the Continent before joining Aniar over two years ago, where the philosophy is for producing contemporary Irish food using local, seasonal, sustainable West of Ireland ingredients.
The local competitions round will continue until December, where semi-finalists from across the world will compete for a chance to move on to the global finals in Milan. By the end of the year, 21 Young Chefs will be announced as official finalists, who will each work with their “Mentor Chef”.
Aniar chef-patron JP McMahon said: “I'm super-thrilled for Killian. He's a chef of the highest calibre with a passion for Irish produce.
“He has the skill, knowledge and technical ability to take Irish food to greater heights. We are all delighted at Aniar. We are a small team that nurture talent to promote the great food produce of Ireland. For me, this is another confirmation that Irish food is one of the best in the world.”
Aniar is located at Lower Dominick Street.