Sodexo Duo Cooking for Olympic Gold

Every four years the elite of the culinary world gather to compete in the IKA/Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart and two Sodexo Ireland chefs have been selected to represent Ireland in the 2024 competition. Gordon Carberry will be on the senior team (chefs aged over 25 years) and Chris Leech on the junior team (25 years and under). Sodexo is the only food services business to have a representative on each team.

Gordon and Chris will be joining some 1,800 chefs from 67 nations in the world’s largest and most multi-faceted live culinary competition that attracts the cream of global talent. 

There are 18 chefs per country, ten on the senior team and eight on the junior. Each team must cook a full three course ‘Restaurant of Nations’ menu (the seniors for 110 people and the juniors for 75) and a Chef’s Table style menu for 14 and 12 people respectively. Both teams will be competing on 3rd February (Restaurant of Nations) and on 5th February (Chef’s Table) with winners announced on Wednesday, 7 February.

Teams cook for Olympic gold in glass-walled kitchens with visitors watching their every move. Judges score on everything from taste, flavours and creative achievements to cleanliness, hygiene and sustainability in the working environment.   

Head chef Gordon Carberry, Sodexo’s senior team representative said:

We will be competing in a replica of a live restaurant situation, in a kitchen with glass walls  so every thing we do is visible and nothing is hidden; standards are sky high and the pressure of this challenge is not for the faint hearted, but I can’t wait to get started 

Sous chef Chris Leech, junior team leader added:

I’m so proud to be representing Ireland. The competition calls for maximum concentration and is all about techniques and showing off all we can do.  Our team spirit is high - it will be all about focus, speed and detail on the day.

The competition is all about perfection and precision and like the Olympic Games, teams have to qualify and maintain standards to hold their place.  

In Ireland, the teams were chosen through a combination of assessment and competitive results in culinary competitions.  Once selected, the members travelled from all over Ireland to meet for regular training sessions, menu development and testing to perfect their dishes. The Irish teams will be led by Alan Fitzmaurice, head chef at the Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo, president of the Panel of Chefs of Ireland, and senior team captain. 

David Fox, managing director, Sodexo Ireland said:

Given the high level of Irish talent that will be travelling to Stuttgart, we’re extremely proud to be the only food services business with two chefs among the Irish contingent taking on the global best of the best in Stuttgart.

It will be tough, but Gordon and Chris have worked extremely hard in preparing themselves for the competition and we wish them the very best of luck in what is sure to be the experience of a lifetime.