Top chefs attend IT Tallaght launch of pioneering Masters
By Mary Dennehy
A PIONEERING culinary Masters in Nutrition, the first of its kind in the world, was launched in IT Tallaght on Wednesday – with support from some of the top names on Ireland’s food scene.
The local institute’s solid reputation for developing and delivering progressive courses reached boiling point this week when chefs and programme patrons Neven Maguire, Derry Clarke and Domini Kemp arrived on campus to help launch the world’s first-ever Masters in Culinary Nutrition.
The unique Masters enables chefs to innovate food for health and wellness in line with current trends, addressing the challenges met by many chefs in adapting menus for health and wellness to meet customer needs.
Due to the significance of the course both nationally and internationally, key industry players Derry Clarke, Domini Kemp and Nevin Maguire will ensure that the Masters continues to focus critical attention on best practice and excellence, innovation and creativity and industry practice-led research.
Speaking at the launch, Derry Clarke said: “I welcome the initiative taken by IT Tallaght to design this new Masters in Applied Culinary Nutrition for culinary arts graduates.
“It is a great idea and this will be key to the education and practice of chefs of today and the future.”
Derry’s fellow course ambassador, Domini Kemp said: “Our interest in health is growing at the same rate as health care costs are soaring.
To re-focus our ideas about what is truly “healthy”, using up-to-date nutritional information – that challenges the norms – is what is going to be so exciting about this programme.”
Nevin Maguire, whose past employee Andy McFadden is a graduate of IT Tallaght and now the head chef at London’s award-winning restaurant L’Autre Pied, was also present and said: “While the production of ‘healthful’ options should not compromise the flavour of the dish and the meal experience, educating chefs on how this can be done creatively and successfully is key.
This programme will assist in bringing our sector of the industry into line with current trends”.
The programme started in September and will run initially as a part-time programme, two evenings a week over two years.
Annette Sweeney, Programme Co-ordinator said: “Currently there is not a programme available globally that can assist the chef meet the challenges of the health-conscious consumer in a way that links culinary professional practice, food science and research, specific to menu design, and food production of healthful options in hotel and restaurant menus”.
For programme details contact Annette Sweeny on 4042826 or email annette.sweeney@ittdublin.ie.
