Young West Limerick chef Charlie Ward of Rathkeale is a member of the Ireland squad which will compete in the 48th edition of the Team WorldSkills com-petition in Shanghai, China next week, September 22nd-27th.
Selected from top vocational talents across the country, Charlie is stepping up in the culinary arts category and will join a team of top fellow professionals competing across various trades.
The TUS Limerick Culinary Arts graduate earned his spot following an intense multi-stage selection process, which included competing against top culinary talent in Belfast as well as internal college trials.
The Limerick chef credits an animated film with sparking his understanding of culinary flavour combinations. A key scene in the movie ‘Ratatouille’ opened his eyes to how simple ingredients work together. The revelation inspired him to experiment with food pairing and discover new taste profiles.
He explained: “The movie ‘Ratatouille’, and I always go back to it. It’s such an inspiration for me because it was the first time I realised that if you eat something on its own, it tastes good, but if you eat it combined with something that com-plements it well, it changes it completely. Because there’s a scene where he eats, I think, a strawberry on its own, and then he eats a piece of cheese, and then he eats them together. And it’s just like, it was fireworks.”
Around 1,400 entrants from 80 countries will be engaged in competition. The venue (National Exhibition and Conference Centre), around 80 times the size of Croke Park, is expected to attract a combined attendance of an incredible 300,000 food lovers.
Charlie is a commis chef at The Mustard Seed Country House, Ballingarry.