Christmas came early for our head chef Marcin Szczodrowski who has reached the finals of the prestigious Gold Medal Awards in the Chef of the Year category. The awards have been running for a remarkable 33 years and are the leading independent awards programme for the Irish hospitality industry. They are run in association with Hotel & Catering Magazine.
Chef Marcin is no stranger to awards in his career and has most recently struck gold at both the Irish Hotel Awards and the Yes Chef Awards. He has brought all his fine dining flair to us at the Ocean Sands and is proudly presenting five-star food at this four-star hotel.
Judges for this year’s Gold Medal Awards received over 460 entries in total to consider, from 150 hotels, guest houses, country houses, restaurants, cafés, bars and catering companies from across the country. An important factor in the Gold Medal Awards is the credibility and impartial nature of the judging process. Every property that undergoes this process is subject to benchmarking against a strict set of criteria and a blind site inspection conducted by the judging panel. This panel comprises respected industry experts from across the hospitality, culinary and catering sectors.
Marcin is a perfectionist in terms of food presentation, “You eat with your eyes first”, is his mantra, and he insists that his kitchen team stick to his high standards. He’s really enthusiastic about his team in our kitchens and the ability and enthusiasm they bring to their work. Since starting with us just over a year ago he has introduced new menus, a new Afternoon Tea by the Sea, a fine dining menu and exciting wedding menus.
The Chef of the Year will be announced at a gala event on 31st January 2023 at the Galmont Hotel & Spa in Galway. Good luck Chef Marcin!
