Nua MasterChef Final Celebrates Team Talent and World Food Day

To celebrate World Food Day on 16th October, Nua Healthcare invited all team members across the service to take part in our first-ever Nua MasterChef competition. Everyone was encouraged to submit their favourite recipes and dishes, and from these entries a group of finalists was selected to progress to the final stage of the competition.

The Nua MasterChef Final took place on Thursday 4th December at the Kilcullen CLaD Hub. Nine finalists attended on the day with their completed dishes, presenting a total of fifteen starters, main courses and desserts to the judging panel. The dishes represented a wide variety of cuisines, including Ireland, Portugal, Italy, France, Sweden, Spain, Turkey and several African countries.

The judging panel included Jemima Kennedy, Director of Supported Living Services, Margaret Finnegan, Head of Catering, and Laura Jones from the Talbot Hotel Group. Each dish was assessed on its recipe, ingredients and overall presentation. The judges commented on the exceptional standard of the entries and said they would have been delighted to receive any of the dishes in a restaurant.

The winners were announced as follows:

• Starter: Naim Kurtuldu, Nua Healthcare Services Gormanston, Turkish Lentil Balls

• Main Course: Karl Chinedu Agbanyim, Auburn House, Coconut Fried Rice

• Dessert: Eileen Cullinance, Cois Dalua, Mulled Berry Pavlova

Each of the three winners received a Nua MasterChef trophy, a MasterChef apron and €500.

A Highly Commended award was also presented to Dragan Soric, Eden Hill / Cedarwood, for his beautifully presented Fruit Tiramisu, with a prize of €200.

Following the judging, everyone in attendance was invited to sample the dishes, creating a warm and enjoyable atmosphere where colleagues could share food and celebrate the finalists’ hard work.

The Nua MasterChef Final was a great success and a fitting way to mark World Food Day by highlighting the diverse skills and cultures within our organisation. Sincere thanks to everyone who submitted a recipe, to the nine finalists who presented their dishes and to our three judges for their time and support.