This article is from page 31 of the 2007-04-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 31 JPG
THE CHERRYTREE’S Chef de Cuisine, Mark Anderson, was one of a chosen few to take part in a top cookery competition last week.
The chef who has been delighting diners on the shores of Lough Derg in Killaloe/Ballina, was short-list- ed in the hugely popular Féile Bia Chef’s Competition 2007.
Mark was chosen from the 40 en- tries that were received. The aim of the competition is to encourage chefs to support artisan producers by sourcing the maximum of authentic and freshly available produce and highlighting this on the menus.
As part of the competition, profes- sional chefs were asked to submit a copy of their restaurant menu.
The six shortlisted chefs from all over Ireland took part in a cook-off in Athlone, Co. Westmeath.
Mark’s dish of choice for the com- petition was noisette and chop of spring lamb, wild mushroom boudin, Shallot ‘tarte tartin’, slow roasted garlic puree pomme fondant with tarragon infused jus.
The dishes were reviewed by the judging panel which consisted of food writers Marilyn Bright and Georgina Campbell, Lorcan Cribbin, Commissioner General, Eurotoques Ireland and Maire Dufficy, Bord Bia Food Advisor.
Mark Donohue, the head chef in The Oak Room Restaurant, Adare Manor was the winner on the night but the Cherrytree chef said it was a “very enjoyable experience” to have
been shortlisted to take part. This was not the first time that Mark was shortlisted. “It’s always good to see what other people are doing in their restaurants,’ he said.
As a member of the Bord Bia group of restaurants, The Cherrytree is committed to using the best of lo- cally produced produce wherever possible.
“We’re committed to using quality Irish products. That was our inten- tion from the start. We source local products as much as possible and all our meat is traceable. If you order lamb, I can tell you what field it was grazing in,’ said Mark.
And, he added, the restaurant 1s fortunate to be based in east Clare, where there are increasing numbers of producers growing and farming
organically and selling their produce on.
The Cherry Tree Restaurant was opened by proprietor Harry MckK- eogh in February 2000 and Mark has been with the establishment since its opening.
He won the ‘Georgina Campbell Chef of the Year’ Award in 2006 and together with his team in the kitchen, Mark changes his menus monthly to use the best of local ingredients, many of them organic.
Mark, 33, is originally from Clon- mel, County Tipperary.