Limerick student wins Student Chef of the Year title
After an intense two-hour cook-off, the Limerick student dished up the winning meal
A STUDENT from TUS Limerick, Yeshuah O'Brien Bayer, has won the Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year 2025 competition.
After an intense two-hour cook-off, Yeshuah O’Brien Bayer from TUS Moylish Campus Limerick was crowned the Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year 2025.
This year, ten student chefs from every corner of the country took part in the competition, which was hosted at TUS Athlone Campus.
In order to win, Yeshuah and the other student chefs were challenged to prepare a two-course menu comprising a main course and dessert, inspired by this year’s theme, which was “Good Mood Food”.
For his main course, Yeshuah prepared Black Sole with Pickled Mussels, Yuzu Kabosu Beurre Blanc. And for dessert, he prepared Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa Nib and Pumpkin Wafer.
Winning Silver Medal was Donal Byrne from SETU Waterford while the Bronze Medal was won by Eliška Semanová from ATU Galway.
The competition aims to support the future generation of chefs, providing a vital platform for young Irish talent to showcase their creativity, build confidence, and gain real-world experience that will shape their careers.
This year’s judging panel was made up of award-winning chef, broadcaster, columnist and Executive Chef at the K-Club, Gary O’Hanlon, Executive Director of Culinary and Craft at Aramark Ireland, Derek Reilly and Audrey Crone, Executive Chef Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions.
Judge Audrey Crone said; “This year’s theme is all about the feel-good factor. It’s time to rethink healthy eating and create vibrant, nutrient-rich dishes that look stunning and taste amazing. The brief will challenge students to explore how food can nourish not just the body, but also the mind and soul, without sacrificing flavour, while incorporating bouillon as a key ingredient. Kitchens are packed with ingredients that can revive and restore – now it’s our turn to bring them to life!”