Jack Rice of Comet restaurant named young chef of the year
Jack Rice of Dublin’s Comet restaurant was named young chef of the year on Sunday at the Euro-toques Ireland annual gala dinner. Rice, who is originally from Limerick , previously worked at Michelin -starred Galway restaurant Lignum and was winner of the WorldSkills Ireland cookery competition in 2022. Rice was crowned young chef of the year after a final in which six chefs were challenged to design two original dishes: a main course and either a starter or dessert. The other five finalists included fellow Comet chef Áine Budds; Shannon Caulfield of Ashford Castle ; Aymeric Decourval who represented Lady Helen at Mount Juliet ; Chapter One’s Sam Nourse and Simone Tamilio of Bar Pez. The brief asked the six chefs to use a centre-cut of Dexter beef sirloin on the bone from Brave Herders in Co Cork, alongside organic rye, spelt and wholemeal flours from Dunany Flour in Co Louth, and butter and yoghurt from Saltrock Dairy in Gorey, Co Wexford. The ingredients were selected as part of the competition’s 40th anniversary theme Community at the Table, and Rice’s main course, The Past and Present of Beef in Ireland, followed by his Mum’s Apple Tart, bagged the top prize. As winner Rice takes home a Kenwood Chef Titanium XL; a one-day knife course with Sam Gleeson; a voucher for sharpening knives; a bottle of Two Shores Superior Irish Rum as well as a chef’s stage at one of the judges kitchens: either Da Terra restaurant in London with chef Rafael Cagali or Restaurante Maca de Castro under Macarena de Castro Martín in Mallorca. As well as competing in the final, the six chefs also received mentorship as part of the programme, visiting the kitchens of Keelan Higgs’ at Variety Jones in Dublin , Rafael Calgari’s two Michelin-starred Da Terra in London and Nomos alumni Cuán Greene’s recently opened venture Ómós in Abbeyleix, Co Laois. The young chefs also visited Dunany Flour and Carlingford Oyster Company over the six-month mentorship period. This year’s judging panel included Michelin-starred chef Lewis Barker of Terre at Castlemartyr Resort in Co Cork, fellow Michelin-star holder Keelan Higgs of Variety Jones, and Domini Kemp of Lottie’s in Rathmines, Dublin. The ceremony also announced Aengus Moloney of Aniar in Galway as rising pastry chef of the year, who won the honour ahead of four other finalists: Aoife Comerford of Liath in Dublin; The Merrion Hotel’s Alena Pazitna; Ashford Castle’s Francesca Kearns; and Masha Campbell of Carrick-on-Shannon’s My Kitchen by Sham Hanifa. The pastry category’s judging panel included Lali González of the recently opened Glover’s Alley in Dublin; Lady Helen at Mount Juliet’s Tom Phelan; and Orna Larkin who represented the InterContinental in Dublin. Moloney’s prize includes a trip to visit specialist food decorator PCB Creation in Strasbourg, France, a stage with one of the category’s judges, a Kenwood Chef Titanium XL and a bottle of Two Shores Superior Irish Rum. Young chef of the year 2026: The dishes (As presented in the competition) Aine Budds – Comet Main dish: BBQ Dexter beef, mole poblano, golden beet rye tarte fine with Marmite black garlic glaze, herb salad, brown butter beef sauce. Dessert: Compressed choux eclair, Saltrock butter mousseline, blood plum jam, white chocolate crumb, white chocolate mirror glaze. Shannon Caulfield – Ashford Castle Main dish: Brave Herders Dexter sirloin, Saltrock dairy pomme purée, Ashford Estate artichoke purée, garden kale, sauce bordelaise. Dessert: Plum and hazelnut frangipane tart. Aymeric Decourval – Lady Helen at Mount Juliet Main dish: Dexter Sirloin cooked on the bone, girolles, pommes Anna. Dessert: Highbank Orchards apple, Dunany flour sablé Breton, Saltrock dairy yoghurt sorbet. Sam Nourse – Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen Main dish: Elevated Sunday Roast Dexter beef, onion, “mushroom”, black pudding, pear and horseradish. Dessert: Pancino, black currant, Killahora apple ice wine caramel, “soft serve” mascarpone and parsley. Jack Rice – Comet Main dish: The Past and Present of Beef in Ireland. Dessert: Mum’s Apple Tart. Simone Tamilio – Bar Pez Main dish: Dexter beef strip on the bone, smoked Saltrock brown butter jus gras. Side plate: Poached and barbecue celeriac, Saltrock labneh, pine nut praline, cavolo nero and basil purée, Dexter liver meatball, crispy cavolo nero, Dunany spelt flour milk bread. Dessert: Upside down fig cake, whipped Saltrock yoghurt mousse, flambé of Cointreau.