Dungannon chefs cooking up storm!

The 'CHEF Ireland' competition is taking place from 9th-11th February at CATEX in the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin

A TEAM of 12 budding chefs from the South West College in Dungannon will be hoping to cook up a storm for the Panel of Chefs' 'CHEF Ireland' competition which is taking place from 9th-11th February at CATEX in the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. CATEX - the catering and hospitality industry's annual showcase - will host over 700 trainee and practising chefs in this year's CHEF Ireland competitions at the biggest hospitality trade event of the year.

Magherafelt chef Sean Owens, a former competitor and CHEF Ireland judge for 2009 said: "For many years, I have been competing in the Panel of Chefs' competitions in Ireland. They are a great platform for chefs' talents to be recognised and this year, with the competitions being staged at a world-class trade show, winning one of the top awards will be extremely sought after. The competition is fierce but the rewards and hard work make the hours of practising worthwhile as well as honing the talents of the chefs taking part." Myles Moody, CEO, Panel of Chefs, added: "Northern Ireland has a rich history of producing world-class chefs and many of North's talented cooks have taken home the top awards at CHEF Ireland over the years. We're extremely pleased to welcome Sean Owens as one of the judges and hope that lots of chefs from the North make the short journey down to the competition." Entrants will compete on ten live hot stations vying to win the title of Chef of the Year. For the first-time ever, the Global Chefs Challenge World Semi-Final for Northern Europe, will also be taking place at CATEX 2009, sponsored by Bunzl, under its CHEF Ireland brand