Success on a plate for Roscrea chefs

Two Roscrea chefs won medals for their culinary expertise in the recent Salon Culinaire, the annual culinary competition run by services company Sodexo Ireland for its 2,000 staff working in 200 site locations throughout Ireland.

Head chef Sean Berry from Cistercian College in Roscrea won a gold medal for his entry in the Mystery Basket Class, while Patricia Gleeson from Templemore, chef at Mount Saint Joseph Abbey, won a bronze medal in the Cake Baking class for her delicious carrot cake and banana & fruit cake.
TV chef Derry Clarke was one of the judges at the event and he commented: “The standard is always high and I found the culinary skill shown in the baking and deli classes, which are open to chef and non-chef employees, to be particularly excellent this year. I was also very impressed with the pride and sense of achievement shown by the staff and their families. There was a great team spirit on the day.”
Margot Slattery, managing director, Sodexo Ireland, said: “Congratulations to all Sean and Patricia for their excellent medal wins.  Salon Culinaire is a great opportunity to showcase staff talent, which is vital for our business. It allows us to reach and often exceed client expectations in operating their staff restaurants, and offer food quality and presentation comparable to that found in high street shops, bistros and restaurants.”
Sodexo Ireland, part of the global Sodexo Group - the world’s largest services company, manages staff restaurants and services that improve the quality of life to clients in business and industry, education, financial and healthcare. It serves 90,000 people daily and spends €21 million annually on local Irish food.