Stephen becomes youngest Chef of the Year

AT just 22 a Poleglass man has wowed judges with his skills to become the youngest ever winner of the Northern Ireland Chef of the Year competition.

Stephen Hope, who has already had nine years of cooking experience behind him, impressed judges with a Veloute of parsley root with smoked eel goujons, pan fried local scallops with pickled carrot and orange salad, followed by a roast breast of duck and warm parsnip and duck egg tart, gingerbread puree, savoy cabbage, followed by textures of Antrim apple baked/frozen and fresh at the recent King's Hall event.

Not that he is a stranger to successs, at the tender age of 19 he beat off competition 500 other young chefs to win a scholarship with television star Gordon Ramsey.

Stephen, from Glenwood, works as a sous chef in Deanes on Belfast's Howard Street and began working in the kitchens at Balmoral Hotel at the age of 14.

His love for cooking began when he watched his grandmother bake buns and cakes in her kitchen.

"I always loved watching my mother make dinner and my grandmother bake," said Stephen. "When I learned how to make jam tarts I practised on my family who were eating nothing but jam tarts for about a fortnight."

Stephen has worked at Tatu and the Merchant before landing a job at the Michelin starred Deanes.

He won the Gordon Ramsey scholarship in 2008 in England and was so sure he would lose out that he booked early flights home.

In fact he scooped the prize with his three course menu of potato and leek soup, grouse with red cabbage and a treacle steamed pudding.

Part of his scholarship was to work for a week in three of Ramsey's restaurants in Paris, London and New York. He also won a brand new VW Polo - but it proved too difficult for Stephen to transport the vehicle from London so instead he was given a cheque for 10,000 - the Merchant also won a 10,000 oven and he also got a case of signed cookery books.

"Gordon was really lovely," said Stephen. "He really looked after me. On the night of the competition when I won I just wanted to go home - it was really head melting but Gordon insisted that I stay to celebrate and made me drink champagne."

Though he has not made it to New York or Paris, he enjoyed his experience at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants in London.

In fact it was one of the desserts he was taught to make in the London restaurant, a dish consisting of fresh, frozen and baked apple which helped him wow judges in the Chef of the Year competition.

"I was really surprised when I won Chef of the Year," said Stephen. "I would not have entered the competition if I didn't think I had a chance but it means so much to win this.

"My ultimate goal now is to have my own restaurant and I would be surprised and disappointed in myself if I did not achieve that by the time I am 30.

"During my time working in the Gordan Ramsey restaurant in London I learned that you have to believe in yourself. "