PICTURES: Award winning Limerick chef goes back to school

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CHEF SHAUNA Murphy has very happy memories of her time in Bilboa NS in Cappamore and now she has made even more after giving boys and girls a culinary masterclass.

Shauna, aged 27, from Bilboa, was invited back to her alma mater after winning the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year title - Ireland’s premier cooking competition for young professional chefs.

Guest chef Paolo Casagrande of three-Michelin star Lasarte in Barcelona announced this year’s Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year, calling Shauna to the stage to receive the trophy, designed by chef Kevin Thornton.

Shauna works in the two Michelin starred Terre restaurant in the Castlemartyr Resort in Cork. She has also donned chef's whites in The Oak Room at Adare Manor; East House Restaurant in Plassey House, UL and Ashford Castle to name but some of the stops on her culinary journey.

For her award-winning dish, she cooked a main course of barbecue lobster with vanilla brown butter bisque reduction and citrus carrot purée, served with a side of barley with lemongrass foam and crispy carrot.

But Shauna focused on dessert for budding young Nigellas and Rick Steins in Bilboa NS.

“We made Mars bar treats, cookies, red velvet cupcakes, and chocolate mousse,” said Shauna, who witnessed some talented young chefs in action.

“It was really nice to be invited back. Some of the pupils are actually my cousins. There is a tapestry piece on the wall from 2009 and I found a piece that I did on it. It was great to see the extensions built since my time. It's a fantastic school,” she added.

Shauna's love of cooking started when she was a girl but not in the circumstances any child should face.

“My dad and my mother had cancer at the same time when I was a child. I got a lot of goodness out of taking care of them, even if it was just through food,” said Shauna.

Sadly her dad, Andy, passed away in 2009 but mum, Joanne, is very proud to see Shauna recognised by her peers. Previous winners of the competition include such culinary luminaries as Neven Maguire and Anna Haugh. Shauna impressed the judges with her flair, imagination, and skill in execution.

Shauna studied culinary art in TUS before quickly moving up through the ranks due to her talent, work ethic and natural creativity. And she has big plans for the future.

“Food has given me the opportunity to better myself and to support myself in a job that I actually enjoy. There are a lot of techniques that I've learned and my own palate is still developing

“I would hopefully, eventually, like to open my own restaurant to show off Irish cuisine because people don't really think that there is a cuisine in Ireland,” said Shauna, who speaks of the wonderful native produce from the sea and the land in Ireland.
Restaurant kitchens were notorious for shouting and roaring but that is changing, she says.

“Don't get me wrong, someone's going to tell you if you've done something wrong because you need to be corrected. To try and sustain, for example a Michelin star, is immense pressure but it's definitely gotten a lot better since I've started working as a chef,” said Shauna.

After working in a hot kitchen all day, what does she like to cook for herself when she gets home, wants to relax and watch TV?

“It's very much comfort food - stews and pasta. Carbonara and garlic bread is a go-too for me because it's so fast and easy,” said Shauna.

When she was a little girl she loved watching cookery shows and looked up to the likes of Nigella Lawson or Darina and Rachel Allen in Ballymaloe.

Now Shauna is inspiring the pupils of Bilboa NS as her star continues to rise.