2024 Award Winners SEAFOOD CHEF OF THE YEAR 2024

Aishling Moore, Goldie, Cork

At the helm of this small but very exciting fish restaurant in Cork city centre, Goldie, the talented young owner-chef Aishling Moore’s courageous and adventurous approach to sustainability has made waves from the get-go in 2019. Her fish comes almost exclusively from small day boats fishing out of Ballycotton in East Cork, and they operate a 'whole catch policy' - meaning that they accept whatever is in the catch of the day, which ensures a good deal for the fishermen - and then apply a 'gill to tail' approach, which involves using as much of the fish as possible. So menus change daily depending on the catch and, while there will also be plenty of familiar fish on offer, you'll find all kinds of lesser known fish and innovative dishes here that are unlikely to be seen on other menus. Aishling is a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association and has earned wide acclaim for her cooking and for the restaurant, but perhaps the most exciting thing about her story is the way she is directing her pioneering spirit and sustainable ethos to educate young chefs, the industry and the wider public, through her membership of Euro-Toques, The Irish Institute of Training & Development and the brilliant cookbook Whole Catch which was published earlier this year. What a star!