Knockranny chef named Young Chef of the Year

Westport hotel has Best Young Euro-toques chef


Áine Ryan

FOR the second year in a row Knockranny House Hotel has won the prestigious Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year award. Kamil Dubanik  (23) has followed in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Mary Ryan, in attaining this culinary accolade. The awards ceremony was held in Dublin’s Merrion Hotel.
Kamil Dubanik beat off gourmet challenges from five other young chefs who work at some of the country’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Ballynahinch Castle, County Galway, Rathmullan House, County Donegal, and The Cellar at the Merrion Hotel, Dublin.  
Mentored by Head Chef, Seamus Commons, this is the third year running that Knockranny House Hotel (KHH) has been in the final.
Originally from Poland, Kamil Dubanik started working at the hotel as a kitchen porter and over a three-year period has worked his way up to his current position as Demi–Chef de Partie. He recently completed an Advanced Certificate in Professional Cookery at GMIT. 
His delicious menu for the Euro-toque culinary skills test included Roast Troncon of Achill Island Turbot, Dublin Bay Prawn Tortellini, and Jerusalem Artichokes and Mushrooms.
The judges said that Kamil was ‘an eager, hungry chef who showed intelligence in his approach and an extremely high level of skill considering his mere three years in the kitchen’.
Kamil’s prize includes an all-expenses paid trip to The Ivy restaurant in London and a one-week tenure at Dublin’s Michelin starred Chapter One restaurant, under the tutelage of Head Chef, Ross Lewis.