Local man named 'Chef of the Year'

A Galway chef has received the prestigious ‘Chef of the Year’ award from the Bridgestone Guides.

Enda McEvoy, who acts as Head Chef of Aniar Restaurant on Dominick Street, received the honour this week, with his cooking described by The Bridgestone Guide Megabytes Awards 2011 judges as a highlight of the year in restaurant terms.

“What McEvoy does is quite different: his cooking is avant garde, yet steeped in Irish tradition, and it’s this combination that makes Aniar such a thrill.”

Aniar, which is owned and operated by Jp McMahon and Drigin Gaffey of Cava Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar, also received credit for the service at the restaurant, headed up by Front of House Manager Alex McMahon. The judges observed that “the service is as good as the cooking, and that is really saying something”.

 “I’m thrilled Enda has received this prominent accolade, he is truly deserving and an amazing chef. Enda’s attention to detail is not surpassed in the West,” said owner Jp McMahon.

 “Although his attitude towards food encapsulates the overall philosophy of all three of the restaurants that make up EATGALWAY, that of producing excellent food using seasonal and sustainable products, in Aniar this is taken one step further.”

EATGalway is the newly launched umbrella brand, which consists of Cava Spanish Restaurant, Eat at Massimo and Aniar, and Drigín Gaffey added that managing Anair was a “very different experience” to either of the other venues.

“Enda and Alex and the rest of the team in Aniar work tirelessly to make sure that the complexity of the food and preparation is made clear to each customer while explaining how the simplicity in paired flavours is a core aspect of all dishes.

“What Enda is doing can be radical at times and it takes a lot of explaining on our part to build up a sense of trust with our customers. We have enjoyed this challenge and feedback has been wonderful. This award win adds to an exciting start of 2012, already this year Aniar was cited as offering the best starter of 2011 by Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times, and Lucinda O’Sullivan of The Sunday Independent described Cava and Aniar as the hottest restaurants this side of the Shannon.”