Five Young Chefs Selected for BIM’s Taste the Atlantic 2024 Young Chef Ambassador Programme

Charlie Ward, Aoife O’Donnell, Ian Harford, Anna O’Leary and Liam Britchfield, the 2024 Taste the Atlantic Ambassadors

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency, is delighted to announce today (Wednesday 29 May 2024) the five promising young chefs who have been selected as Ambassadors for this years Taste the Atlantic, Young Chef Ambassador Programme. The immersive BIM programme, in collaboration with Chef Network and Fáilte Ireland, is now in its fourth year. The ambitious Ambassadors will embark on a four-month programme to familiarise themselves with Irelands premium seafood and the people who produce it along the Wild Atlantic Way.

The chefs came together for their induction to the Ambassador programme, which will include visits to several seafood producers in Kerry, Cork and Galway to learn all about oyster and mussel farming, the art of seafood smoking, fish mongering skills and recipe creation.

The 2024 Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassadors are:

Ian Harford, 24, from Rush in  Co. Dublin. Ian is currently Chef de Partie at Michelin-starred Aniar restaurant in Galway, where he has worked since January 2024. Ian is a committed chef who is passionate about promoting fishermen and farmers, whose work he feels is often underappreciated.

Anna O’Leary, 22, from Kilmichael in West Cork. Anna is the Baker & Pastry Chef at The Fig & Olive in Clonakilty.  She also spends her time on her family’s farm where she grows her own herbs and vegetables and helps with their production of beef, lamb, chicken, eggs and honey.

Liam Britchfield, 24, from Wicklow Town. Liam is Chef de Partie at Bastible in Dublin. When Liam is not in the kitchen, the sea, coast , nature and food all play a central role in his life. He spends much of his time shore and kayak fishing and foraging on the East Coast, and has travelled and fished along the Wild Atlantic Way in Kerry and Donegal.

Aoife O’Donnell, 23, from Maghery, Co Donegal. Over the past three years she has worked at Danny Minnie’s in Annagry and is now their Fish Chef. Aoife wants to work to feature more local seafood on menus and give visitors and locals alike a real taste of Donegal.

Charlie Ward, 20, from Rathkeale, Co. Limerick. Charlie is Commis chef at the Mustard Seed in Ballinagarry, Co. Limerick. Combining his passion for sports and fitness with his love of all things culinary, Charlie would love to promote the pleasure and nutritional benefit of eating fish more to the young people in Ireland.

Following applications from all over Ireland, the appointed chefs are selected based on their applications, followed by an interview process. More information on each of the Chefs is in the editors notes below. The Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador Programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).