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| BIM Young Fishmonger of the Year 2015, Gerard Collier with Martin Shanahan |
Gerard was selected as winner from a shortlist of five finalists, all of whom demonstrated to the judges, an exceptional high standard in technical expertise, product knowledge and customer service. Martin Shanahan, owner of Fishy Fishy Café & Restaurant, author and TV broadcaster was the guest speaker at the event, where he congratulated the finalists and commended their passion for the seafood industry.
Speaking at the awards ceremony today, Donal Buckley, Business Development & Innovation Director at BIM said; ‘Our role, as the Seafood Development Agency, is to develop the retail trade in terms of seafood presentation, training and food safety management. We see this initiative as an exciting component of this strategy."
As overall winner of the competition, Gerard will be offered a study trip to France, a cheque for €1,000, a set of professional knives and a specially designed trophy. Along with the other finalists he will also benefit from a free placement on BIM’s retail development workshop. As part of their prize, all of the finalists have already enjoyed an inspiring masterclass in seafood cookery with Martin Shanahan.
Throughout the competition, the judges put all the finalists through their paces with three different stages of scoring. This included two unannounced visits to their shops to assess product knowledge and customer service and a practical test where they were asked to fillet and prepare a range of fish and shellfish for customer use, under time constraints.
This is the second year of the BIM Young Fishmonger Awards, developed by BIM to recognise and reward young fishmongers. Their aim is to encourage new entrants into the business and to ultimately raise the bar across the Irish fishing sector.
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| The judges were very impressed with the knowledge, skills and commitment demonstrated by all the finalists |
The other finalists in BIM’s Young Fishmonger 2015 competition were: Stevie Connolly, Connolly’s Seafood, Rathmines, Dublin 6; Neil Turner, Caviston’s Food Emporium, Glasthule, Co. Dublin; Mateusz Kowalik, Doran’s on the Pier, Howth, Co. Dublin and Gary Quinn, Stephen’s Fish Market, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.
Speaking at the awards ceremony today, Donal Buckley, Business Development & Innovation Director at BIM said; ‘Our role, as the Seafood Development Agency, is to develop the retail trade in terms of seafood presentation, training and food safety management. We see this initiative as an exciting component of this strategy."
He added, "Congratulations to our worthy winner Gerard Collier and his colleagues at Fisherman’s Catch, I hope this experience and the competition prize fund allows you to further develop what is a very successful family business."
As overall winner of the competition, Gerard will be offered a study trip to France, a cheque for €1,000, a set of professional knives and a specially designed trophy. Along with the other finalists he will also benefit from a free placement on BIM’s retail development workshop. As part of their prize, all of the finalists have already enjoyed an inspiring masterclass in seafood cookery with Martin Shanahan.
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| Fishing Boats at Killybegs Harbour in Donegal |
Throughout the competition, the judges put all the finalists through their paces with three different stages of scoring. This included two unannounced visits to their shops to assess product knowledge and customer service and a practical test where they were asked to fillet and prepare a range of fish and shellfish for customer use, under time constraints.
Finalists were also required to discuss their plans, opportunities and challenges for their business. Throughout all the stages, the judges were very impressed with the knowledge, skills and commitment demonstrated by all the finalists. Well done Gerard!
Zack
Zack